The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

This book is all over Tumblr (you can follow me if you want!). It's really everywhere. I've seen so many aesthetics and edits that I had to see what it was all about. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. 

The Raven Cycle is an urban fantasy series that follows a group of friends who are trying to find the sleeping Welsh king Owen Glendower. The Raven Boys are Gansey, Adam, Ronan and Noah. They live in a small town in Virginia and they are trying to follow the ley lines, the lines that connect magical places, in hopes of finding Glendower. Even though it started as Gansey's quest, each one of the boys has their own reason for wanting to find the sleeping king. They are kind of in a rut with their quest, but when they meet Blue, a girl who comes from an all psychics family, things take a turn.

I really loved this book. My love for these characters was instant. They are all so colorful and interesting, and the relationships they have with each other are so complex. The genius of this novel rests on such intricate character relationships.

Maggie Stiefvater's writing is superb. It reflects the theme of the book, it's magical and atmospheric. I really enjoyed her writing style, it was actually refreshing.

The plot is very slow. It develops slowly, and you can see that the resolution of an essentially simple plot won't come until the last book. It seems almost stretched out. But this is a very character driven story. It's not action packed, but the characters and their chemistry make up for it all. I personally didn't care for the plot. It wasn't uninteresting by any means, it's clever and unusual, but honestly I just wanted to read the interaction between these characters. They are so fleshed out, and you really care about them and their destinies. 

I am currently reading The Dream Thieves and it's even better! So I definitely recommend this series if you're looking for amazing characters and writing.

Rating:✯✯✯✯ 

Top 5 Wednesday: Best Character Arcs/Development

Okay, so another Wednesday is upon us, so it's time for another Top 5 Wednesday!

As I've mentioned in the previous post, this series was created by Lainey (check out her Goodreads page). There is a group on Goodreads, which anyone can join and begin participating. Also, here is a list of all people who are a part of this series.

Alright, this week's topic is Best Character Arcs/Development, and I had trouble composing this list, I just couldn't think of 5 at the top of my head, but here it goes:

5. Leo from the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan

I think Leo is an amazing character, funny and sarcastic and such a smart-ass and I love him. But also, I love how his character develops, how he comes to terms with his demons and becomes so confident and determined.

4. Percy from the Heroes of Olympus and Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

I think these books are generally great when it comes to character arcs, but Percy is the obvious one. He drastically changes from the first book, he becomes such a strong character, but also more realistic and observant and aware of the world he lives in and how it works. Especially after spending time in Tartarus. I guess it's game changing to spend time down there. Go figure.

3. Tris from the Divergent series by Veronica Roth

Tris grows so much as a character. She begins as this girl who is scared, and doesn't know who she is, and becomes this character who is confident, and doesn't even need to define herself, because she is who she is. No need for labels. And by the end of Allegiant, she is determined and brave and capable of making hard choices. 

2.Ari from Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

I think character arcs are more difficult in stand alone novels, since there isn't much space for it. Still, Ari is an amazing character. He starts out being this angry kid, mad at his mom, dad, brother and mostly himself. He doesn't know who he is or what he is doing. But by the end of the book, he kind of overcomes his demons and comes to terms with his true self.

1. Clary from the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

Clary is one of my favorite female characters. I usually tend to dislike female youngish characters in series, but I really like her. She grows so much, becomes strong and independent and comes to terms with her powers, stops being afraid of them and embraces them. I think her development through the books is massive and really well written.

Top 5 Wednesday: Friend Groups You Want To Be Part Of

Okay, so another Wednesday is upon us, so it's time for another Top 5 Wednesday!

As I've mentioned in the previous post, this series was created by Lainey (check out her Goodreads page). There is a group on Goodreads, which anyone can join and begin participating. Also, here is a list of all people who are a part of this series.

Alright, this week's topic is Friend Groups You Want to be Part Of, so here it goes:

5. Harry, Ron and Hermione from the Harry Potter Series

This one is really obvious, so I am putting it at the bottom, but honestly, who doesn't want to be a wizard and who doesn't want to hang out with these three? That's right, no one.

4.Charlie, Sam, Patrick etc. from the Perks of Being a Wallflower

Again, some of my favorite characters who I would adore being friends with.

3.Marauders from the Harry Potter series

Roaming the school grounds with these four would be epic. Also, the prequel about them NEEDS to happen.

2.Seven Demigods from the Heroes of Olympus series

Every one of them is awesome, and they are all great friends, but the motivation behind this one is obviously Leo. Because he is amazing.

1. Auden and her friends from Along For the Ride

I love Sarah Dessen's books, and I haven't seen many people talk about this one, but it's one of my absolute favorite books ever. There' s just something about small town dynamics that does it for me, and I fall for the characters and the story every time.

Top 5 Wednesday: Futuristic Books

Okay, so another Wednesday is upon us, so it's time for another Top 5 Wednesday!

As I've mentioned in the previous post, this series was created by Lainey (check out her Goodreads page). There is a group on Goodreads, which anyone can join and begin participating. Also, here is a list of all people who are a part of this series.

So this week's topic is Futuristic books, and let's get right into it, shall we?

5. 1984 by George Orwell

This is actually one of the first futuristic book I've read and I loved it. I felt eerie everytime I read this book and I just think it has really strong writing, which sucks you in and makes you think

4. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

This was one of my favorite books of 2014, so that goes to show that I loved it. After reading The Hunger Games and Divergent I had a lot of trouble finding a futuristic/dystopian book that I loved as much, and I've tried many well-loved books and just disliked them. Until I read this one, and fell in love with it. The story is fast paced, griping, exciting and unpredictable. And the characters were awesome.

3. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Again, a book I read a long time ago and it was flipping amazing. It was funny and witty and insightful. I just loved the characters, the setting, the whole concept was just spot on.

2. Divergent by Veronica Roth

I am kind of chucking all three books together, and cheating a bit, but I want to point out the story, not necessarily a particular book. I loved how Divergent started out to be one thing and kind of progressed through out the series, and just threw away everything that was believed in at the start. I loved the characters, the story, the writing, but what really did it for me was the whole progression of the plot line.

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

First dystopian YA book that I read and my favorite of the bunch. Great concept of a futuristic world, vividly depicted and so well written and imagined. The characters were amazing, the plot was great, and even though I really didn't like Mockingjay, it still was way better than some other dystopian books I read. So yeah, amazing.

Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Anti-Heroes

So, I saw this series on Youtube and I loved it so much that I really wanted to include it in my blog. As far as I know, anyone can join, so if anyone wants to they are free to join the Goodreads group.

This was created by Lainey I believe over at gingerreadslainey, so you can check her channel out if you wish. Also, here is a complete list of people participating in this series.

I hope that it's okay that I am doing a blog post even though most people seem to be doing a Youtube video.

Let's get on with the list:

5. Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter series by J.K.Rowling

I just love Draco. He isn't the main character obviously but I still feel like he is someone who struggles with what is the right thing to do, and is someone who portrays who an upbringing can sort of define and destroy you. He just screams anti-hero to me.

4. Dustfinger from the Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke

One of my favorite characters ever. He is just so morally gray, always struggling and he's just trying to do what's best for him and to somehow get by. Really adore him.

3.Meursault from The Stranger by Albert Camus

I love this book to pieces. I think Camus did an amazing job in representing a man faced with the absurd of life, and Mersault is the anti-hero we can all completely relate to.

2. Artemis Fowl from the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer

One of the funniest and most entertaining books ever. Artemis Fowl is a 12 year old evil genius and a criminal mastermind, and honestly what's not to love about that?

1. Amy Elliot Dunne from Gone Girl by Gilian Flynn

One of the greates female anti-heroes that ever was. I just love to hate her.

There you have it, favorite anti-heroes! I really like this kind of post so I am looking forward to future Top 5 posts.

***I have no idea why this didn't go up yesterday, but since I already wrote it, I am posting it a day later

Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

I actually love Zoe's videos and I have been watching them for quite some time. When she announced she was writing a book, I was intrigued by it. All of the other people with book deals on Youtube were writing non fiction books, and Zoe's was to be a novel, fiction that is. So I became quite excited to read it. So I got it as a present, and when I started it I really wanted to like. I truly did. But, unfortunately, that wasn't the case. 

The writing was a bit shaky, and unconsistent at times. It screamed "unexpirienced writing". At least for me. The dialogue was really awkward at times. 

But, all in all, the writing itself wasn't all that bad. 

The problem is the whole thing is so cliché. From the characters to the plot. It is so predictable. Annoyingly so. I just couldn't deal with it at times. The gay best friend who has an impecable sense of fashion? The snarky bitchy girl best friend? The mysterious boy with touseled hair and a guitar? My eyes almost popped out of my head from rolling. 

Of course, the grand problem is the instant love between Penny and Noah. They've known each other for 2 hours and already, Penny declared their pieces were slotting in together. He was her soulmate after just a day together. And she is fifteen. Fifteen! I get how a girl can get excited about a boy, but it was so blown out of proportions. And unrealistic. Some teenage girl will read that and she will think this is how it's supposed to happen. I was so put off by that. It was too much. 

The book had it's bright moments. I thought Noah's sister was cute, and I liked the whole "inciting incident" thing a lot. That would've been an awesome quote if they hadn't known each other for about 4 hours when they said it. 

In the end the book fell short for me. I am very sad to be giving it a 2/5 stars (Goodreads), but it is what it is. 

Best Books of 2014!

I would say that this year has been a rather successful one when it comes to reading. Unfortunately, I opened a Goodreads account mid 2014, so I am not completely sure how many books I have read or which books I have read for that matter. I am just not that organized. Still, I do have a rough sense of the books and it will be more than enough for my Best Books of 2014.

(If I did a full review for the book, there will be a link to it, so you can check it out.)

14. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

A great classic, really enjoyed it, it became one of my favorite books ever.

13.  Landline by Rainbow Rowell
I was hesitant to read it but I ended up loving it. It was so emotional and breathtaking. Adore it.

12. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

I really like reading about mental illness. It's something that intrigues me and I am studying it, so it's always interesting to me. This was really good, loved the characters and the story.

11. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
A really fun and beautiful roadtrip story, with good music, which is always nice.

10. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Really late to the party, but I loved it, and finally a dystopian book that didn't disappoint.

9. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
This took me by surprise, because I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. But it was just amazing with superb writing.

8. Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Such a unique and special writing style, amazing point of view, amazing setting. Just really, really great.

7. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Again, such a unique writing style. Really beautiful and sort of poetic.

6. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
I have never cried so much. I couldn't sleep. The ending was just so perfect. I am actually still recovering even though I read it more than 6 months ago.

5. Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
Yes it had some problems, but in my eyes Rick Riordan can do no wrong and I loved this book, especially Nico's point of view, it was amazing and I am so sad that it's over.

4. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
The best title that ever was. Read it in one sitting, it was beautiful and remarkable and important and I adore it forever.

3. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
I was so excited for this book, and it lived up to my expectations. It was brilliant. Cassandra Clare can do finales justice. I am in love with the Mortal Instruments series, and this was a proper ending to the amazing series.

2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
This is such a page turner, a gripping story that just sucks you in. The characters are so diverse and morally gray, and the story is so twisted. It's basically amazing.

And finally...

1. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
I couldn't resist putting this to the top. Because honestly, I have never connected more to a character than I connected with Cath. She spoke to me. I loved the love story. I loved the writing. I loved the characters. I love Rainbow Rowell, she is pure genius.

More Than This by Patrick Ness

This is my first encounter with one of Patrick Ness' books and I really enjoyed it, hence I will be picking up The Knife of Never Letting Go next. 

This book is about a boy, who actually drowns and dies. But, he wakes up in a house in which he lived in as a child in England (which is strange, because he lived in America now), kind of battered and bruised, but somehow alive. 

That is basically all you need to know about it, and all I knew going into it. And I think that is the best way to read this book, and just let it unfold on itself, which will be surprising and unexpected. 

I really liked this book. It was more than it seemed to be at first. To me, it felt almost layered. As the book went one, it got deeper and deeper, uncovering more and more of its so-called layers. This seems as though it's one thing, but then kind of changes and reveals something unexpected. Throughout the story, you never know what is real and what is actually going on. You are left guessing and kind of choosing for yourself, because there are different options, so to speak.  I really liked that, I generally enjoy that kind of setting. This book was very thought provoking and when I finished it, I ended up thinking about it for days. It kind of lingered with me. 

With all that being said, it took me ages to finish this book. I can't even remember when I started it. I just took me a lot of time to get into it, and when I finally did I found it a bit slow. For me, this meant that at times, I felt completely detached from it. So that kind of ruined the experience for me and I even thought of putting down. I ended up sticking through it, because I did in fact like it, but it just took a lot of effort to finish it. 

Anyways, this was all in all, a really good book, and I gave it 4/5 stars on Goodreads. Definitely recommend this one if you like slow, thought-provoking books.

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

As I've mentioned in a previous post, after reading Eleanor and Park, I wanted to read every single thing Rainbow Rowell had ever written. But then I saw that her other YA novel was called Fangirl, and I just really, really hate that word. (I did a blog post on Fangirl, you can check it out, so I won't ramble on about that whole thing again. But spoiler alert: I LOVED the book.) Anyways, as I've also mentioned, when I heard about Landline, I thought I probably couldn't relate to the characters, given the fact they are in a struggling marriage, and I am... well, nineteen. I am here to point out that I was utterly wrong. 

Landline was brilliant. Truly. I don't know why I ever doubted I would like this book since it was in fact written by Rainbow Rowell. No other writer has that effect on me. But she writes so inexplicably magical, that I am left speechless. I have to put down her books mid-sentence, just because I can't deal with all the feelings. Her characters are so undeniably realistic. They are real people. They are written in a way that no matter what, you can relate because they feel so genuine. I always feel this after reading a Rainbow Rowell book. I am a puddle on the floor, just trying to get over the fact that the book is over and just trying to sort out how is it possible to even feel so much for a book. This doesn't happen to me with books. I am not that person. But somehow, Rainbow Rowell takes all that is magical in this world, and puts it into words. And you just melt. 

I loved this story. I loved every single character in the book. Georgie and Neal's relationship was just brilliant. I loved them as a couple. I loved their kids. I loved how everything was right and wrong at the same time, all the time. I loved the fact that there was this almost SciFi aspect to the story, but it didn't felt misplaced. It was perfectly interwoven into this story, so seamlessly and almost casually.

Obviously, this book got a 5/5 stars on Goodreads (You can add me if you want to, that would be great). And if you are reluctant to read this, as I was at one time, just don't be. It's as every bit as magical as her other books.

***Also the Cath and Levi update thingy?!?! I was over the moon with it. It wasn't a big deal, but somehow it was. Cath and Levi are my favorite characters ever so I really enjoyed that bit. 

Franny and Zooey by J.D.Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye is one of my favorite books of all time. (I did a review for it!) I love it so much. I think that everyone who read it and loved it, felt inclined to read Franny and Zooey too. I didn't have high expectations for it. I didn't expect to like it as much as the Catcher in the Rye. Still, this book left me feeling really weird and unable to decide whether I like it or not. 

I cannot even give a synopsis because there is no plot here. It's a story about finding yourself and coming to terms with how the world is and who it works. And maybe also dealing with the ghosts of your siblings, dead or alive. Yeah, it seems weird. But that's how I see it. 

Zooey is very similar to Holden. That kind of personality echoes through all the male characters in the book, more or less. So, that indicates that this was in fact written by Salinger. But the writing itself, didn't seem like it was him. Or to put it better, the style of the writing had no similarities to the Catcher at all. I don't think I could've guessed that it was Salinger based on the writing alone. I didn't expect that. 

I really liked the book at the beginning. It starts out with Franny and kind of describes the challenges and troubles she's facing. And it seemed to me that I was really going to love this book. But than that whole "plot" line cuts. The whole perspective shifts in time and moves to her family house and her brother, Zooey. And this wasn't done seamlessly. It was very weird and awkward. That's the only way to describe it. 

Also, there were a lot of religious motives in the book. It kept revolving around them and I just didn't particularly enjoy it. It wasn't something I liked and I wanted to read. 

I liked this book at times a lot. Zooey's conversations with his moms and Franny were really nicely written and at those points I really loved the book and the writing and the characters. But then, it would shift again to those religious things and I was a bit put off. It seemed odd in a way.

I ended up giving this book 3/5 stars on Goodreads just because I felt really bizarre after I finished it. I don't think I would necessarily recommend this book, but I think that a lot of people would probably enjoy it. In fact, there are a lot of great reviews for it. Somehow, it just wasn't my cup of tea. 

Legend by Marie Lu

I really enjoy dystopian books, and this one was everywhere. So it was only natural for me to pick it up. I can't say I loved it. It was fun, but there were some things that I really disliked, so they affected the way I feel about this book.

Legend is a story about two very different people, with different lives and backgrounds. One of them is a boy called Day, who is an outlaw basically. There is a test that everyone must take at a certain age, and it predetermines what they are gonna do, and whether or not they would be allowed to continue to live their lives as planned. And Day failed that test. So he ran away and started doing things against the Republic, which is the "evil government" in this book. And he became the most wanted criminal.

On the other side, we have June, who is the only person in the Republic who got a maximum on that test. So she got to go to the best college in the Republic and to prepare to be a military agent of the Republic.

But their paths cross when June's brother is killed, and Day is the number one suspect. So she has to go undercover to catch him.

This was a fun book. Just a fairly entertaining read. It was nicely paced and flowed really smoothly. But I had a couple of problems with it which led to me liking the book a lot less. First of all, the story is told from both Day's and June's perspectives. And they alter. But, they seem like the exact same person. Their narrative voices are very similar. They are both perceptive, cocky and determined. At one point one of them even says they are like one person. Which I hated. It was so unnecessary and made their whole relationship really corny and stereotypical to me. That was the second problem. I didn't care for their relationship at all. It had no feelings in it. It was flat and underwhelming. And really predictable. 

Still, this was a fun and intriguing read. I was entertained by the whole dystopian aspect of the book and I am looking forward to see how it develops and what does it all mean. This was very similar to other dystopian books, which was fine, but I am still waiting to like a dystopian book as much as I liked the Hunger games or even Divergent. And this wasn't the one. Sure, it was fun enough, but for me it wasn't anything special and I wasn't blown away with it.
So I gave this book 3/5 stars on Goodreads. If you're into dystopia, you will probably enjoy it, so you can give it a go.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

These kinds of books aren't really something I usually read. I think I only read one more book that's in the historical fiction genre. So I decided to branch out, and I came across this book. It had such high praises and I was really excited to read it. It really does live up to the expectations.

Now, this book tells the story of two characters. One of them is a blind girl, Marie-Laure, who lives in Paris with her father. He is a locksmith in the Museum of Natural History, so Marie-Laure spends her days exploring the different parts of the Museum. 

The second one is a boy called Werner, who is an orphan, and he lives in a small town Zollverein, in Germany. He and his sister are fascinated by radios. Werner gets really good with them actually, and can repair and build them. The story follows these two different people, and their different destinies during the Second World War. And what the writer does, he slowly intertwines and connects these two people, in many different ways. 

I loved this book. It was amazing. It was even more than I expected. The writing is really beautiful. It's one of those books, where you really got to read every sentence and let it sink in. It's all there for a reason and you really have to get into the right mindset to read.

The only problem I had with it sometimes is that it's really, really slow paced. That's not something that I am used to in books, so at times that really put me off. I needed a lot more time to read this than I usually do, so that was something that annoyed me a bit. But not too much.

I really liked that the chapters were short. They are mostly three or four pages long. And for some reason, I really enjoy that. And they alternate between Marie-Laure's and Werner's point of view. So you're always switching between them and you see them at the same point in time. Which is great. Also the story jumps between the different years of the war, so you kind of see where they are at the end, but then you also see how they got there. And that's done exquisitely. It connects so perfectly and the whole premise of it really works.

I loved all the characters in this book. They were really nicely built in a way. Throughout the book, they change and they grow and it was really great. There is a variety of characters and they are all sharp and really interesting.

In conclusion, I gave this book 5/5 stars on Goodreads. I would totally recommend it to anyone. Even if you are not into the genre, just bare with it and by the end you will, hopefully, love it like I did. 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Well, that was a hell of a ride. From start to finish. I didn't expect this book to be so good. I picked it up because it was getting a lot of buzz. The movie came out and I really wanted to see it, so I wanted to read the book before seeing it. I really actually enjoy these kinds of books, the psychological thrillers/mysteries. I just rarely pick them up for some reason. 

So the plot of this book revolves around a married couple, Nick and Amy Dunne. On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy disappears. Under suspicious circumstances. That's about as far as I can go with the plot because I don't want to give anything away. The thing I feel I can point out is that we get both of their perspectives, of their marriage and their life together. Which was pretty messed up. Their marriage was awful. And they aren't perfect. I think flawed is also an understatement. But, yeah, they aren't really likable characters, which was actually great. It's a psychological novel so the whole time you're reading, you are in their heads. And it was amazing writing. I was so involved with the story and the characters. I was on the edge the whole time. At some points, I was actually left sitting there, with my mouth wide open, not believing what I was reading. I had to reread some parts just to really let them sink in. I am so excited to read the other books from the author, because I loved the style of the writing. And I love how the story was conceptualized. It was really just great. You're not going to feel good after you finish this book. But you're still going to love it. 

So, I gave this book 5/5 stars on Goodreads and I would recommend it to everyone. As a matter of fact, I already started to.

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

This book was really, really good. So glad I ended picking it up and I was so excited when I started reading it. It didn't disappoint!
So the jist of the book: Amy's dad had recently died and she has been having quite a rough time. To top it all off, her mother decides that it's time for them to move across the country. Amy is supposed to drive their car from California to Connecticut. But since her father's accident, Amy doesn't really drive anymore. So her mother arranges for Roger, an old childhood friend of Amy's, to drive her there and she plans out the whole trip to them. But it turns out that that trip is kind of boring, so Amy and Roger decide to take the more "scenic" route and end up taking quite a detour.
I really thought this book was great. It felt authentic and real. Amy's voice and narration were quite consistent throughout the book. Her and Roger's relationship seemed quite genuine. At first they were quite awkward around each other, and they didn't know what to talk about, but as the trip went on. they got used to each other and were kind of able to read each other's body language, even though they didn't necessarily talk too much. It was gradual, and so it felt real and honest.
They were both quite likable characters and I thought the whole character building, like learning about them, was really nicely written.
Now, what sets this book apart, for me at least, is that there are pictures and receipts and doodles all over this book. Amy's mother gets her a sort of travel scrapbook, so we have excerpts from in the book. This added so much to the story. I've always loved roadtrips, even just the idea of them excites me. So seeing pictures from their stops, or receipts from diners really made me get into the story and be there. There were also playlists that they made for the trip, and each one was named differently, according to what they were experiencing at that moment. And the music was actually good and when you listen to it, you kind of get the mood of each one which then correlates to the specific part of the book. And to me that was amazing and it was what ultimately made me love this book.
I also felt like Amy and Roger's relationship wasn't blown out of proportions. It started out awkwardly and slowly they got used to each other and became friends. And even though they liked each other, like romantically, it wasn't made to be this huge epic love story. It felt possible and real, not like they were instant lovers. I really liked the way it ended. They kind of said "Okay, yes, we like each other, we like how things are, but we don't necessarily know where we're headed".  And that was great because that's how it is in life. You meet someone and you like them and you see where it's going in time. And also, we got a receipt from a diner which is dated to after the ending, so we know that they end up together. So I really appreciated not having that huge, epic love story after just five days they spent together.
All in all, this is the perfect feel good book. It's a sparkly, fluffy, warm and fuzzy read. But it's not just that. It made me really want to go on a roadtrip. I gave this book 5/5 stars on Goodreads  and if you're looking for a quick read that's gonna make you feel good, this book is perfect for it.

*There's a playlist I found on 8tracks which has some of the songs from the book, and it's really good so I thought I'd put it in:
http://8tracks.com/padfootandprongs/amy-roger-s-epic-detour-1

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door is the second book in the companion series Anna and the French Kiss. Lola is a somewhat quirky 17 year old, who doesn't wear the same outfit twice and loves to dress up in costumes. She has a boyfriend, Max, who is 5 years older than her, and plays in a band. And even though Lola thinks she is very much in love with him, things start to change when the boy she used to like moves back to the house next door.

I think my feelings for Anna and the French Kiss pretty also apply here. This is the same story basically, only reversed. Now, the girl has a boyfriend and she can't gather the courage to breakup with him, even though it's pretty obvious that she like Cricket, her neighbor. So once again, the story is quite generic and predictable, and again, Lola and Cricket dance around each other, have a lot of awkward moments, but somehow Lola doubts her feelings. I feel that the whole premise of the first book is the same. 

Lola can be pretty annoying sometimes. She can be childish and overly-dramatic, but I prefer her to Anna, because Anna really pushes my buttons for some reason. Also, Lola's whole quirkiness was a bit too much at times, it seemed pushed and came off as trying-too-hard.

Then Cricket. Oh boy, Cricket. I loooved Cricket. He really made me like this book so much more than I would if he wasn't in it. He is this cute, tall, geeky, smart and sometimes a little bit awkward boy. So yes, I did like him, even though he didn't really seem quite real, honestly.

Also, I felt the whole thing with Max was so obvious, as in how it will end. I mean, it's constantly stressed that he is this older, tattooed, jealous person, who hates Lola's friends and who always gets mad at her. And it's quite predictable how that relationship will end. 

Again, this book is quite stereotypical, like the first one, but again, it's CUTE. It's as every bit cute and fluffy as Anna, or even more (CRICKET). So once again, I have fallen under the spell of teenage drama and so called true love. But it's okay because I enjoyed it. And it made me feel nice and fuzzy when I read it. This book won't change the world, I know, but that's fine because it's...guess what? Frickin' cute. 

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I have mixed feelings about this book. I saw it all over Youtube and people seemed to be loooving it. So I had high expectations for it. But as soon as I picked it up, it became pretty obvious that it's going to be another stereotypical YA novel. And somehow I was under the impression that that wasn't the case.

This book is about a girl name Anna whose father sends her from Atlanta to study abroad in Paris, in an American school. So she has to leave her life in Atlanta, her best friend and a potential boyfriend and move to Europe. There she meets a girl name Meredith who (kind of) introduces her to this boy named Étienne St. Clair. He is this gorgeous, smart boy, and Anna instantly likes him even though he has a girlfriend. 

Draaama. As I said, it's a pretty typical teenage book. I had a couple of problems with it. First of all, Anna. I know. The main character. But I hated her. She really bugged me. A lot. She is just plain... ignorant. Yup, that's the word. For example, she is this self-proclaimed film addict and expert, but she is completely stunned that there are cinemas in Paris. Um, hello, it's frickin' Paris?!

Also, she couldn't talk to the chef in the cafeteria because she can't speak French. Boohoo. I mean, it's an American school, chances are he speaks English and isn't completely IGNORANT.

The male lead, Étienne St. Clair, is completely dreamy, yes. I mean he is beautiful, smart, funny, speaks French AND has a British accent. I mean what more can you ask for? But he is so generic. Cute, but nothing that hasn't been seen before.
The whole book they obviously like each other, but they are so awkward around each other and just dance around the subject. Sometimes they said and did things and I was just like...

Another thing that I want to address is the writing style. People keep saying that they love the way she writes, but I didn't get that. It wasn't bad, far from it. I even thought it was pretty good. But there isn't anything special or ground-breaking about it. It was nice, but again, nothing that hasn't been seen before. And I hated the title. It's so... girly and bad. Makes it seem like the whole time this girl is chasing a kiss. Which she isn't really. She doesn't mind it, but that's not her whole preoccupation. Not really.
But all that aside, I gave 4 stars to this book on Goodreads. And why? Because it's just CUTE. Yes. They are stupid teenagers and they can't grasp basic things but it's still cute. And fuzzy. This is such a feel-good book. The one you can read without really thinking about it a lot, or at all for that matter. And who doesn't need that? I know I do. I want to read about a stupid girl who chases love and catches it. Because it's nice. And it makes me feel nice. It's not going to change your life. It's not going to make you think. It's not even an epic love story. But Perkins shows us how they fell in love, it's not like instant, like in most books these days. It's gradual. They actually talk and become friends and all that stuff. And once again, it's CUTE. But Anna is still quite annoying. And Étienne is adorable, even though he is every other YA book boy. But sometimes that's fine. Sometimes it's okay, because sometimes we need it. Anyways, it's a quick, easy, fluffy read, and I give it 4/5 stars and if you're into this kind of stuff you should check it out, because it's one of the better ones in that particular genre. 

***I actually started reading the next book in the companion series, Lola and the Boy Next Door, in which there are appearances by Anna and Étienne and I actually like them much more in this book. Because I don't have Anna's annoying point of view and also, there isn't any drama, they are just this cute couple. So I enjoyed that a lot more. ***

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

I picked up this book solely on the fact that there is a lot of reference to it, in books, movies and etc. 

But nonetheless, I loved it. It was really good. 

It's a story about a boy named Ponyboy (real name, not a nickname) who lives in a world where everyone is, according to him, divided into two groups- Socs (sort for Socials) and Greasers. He belongs to the latter group. Socs are rich, preppy kids, who have it easy in life, and can get a way with anything. Greasers are kids with slick, greased hair, who are kind of thug-ish, and they always have to watch their backs. Pony lives with his two brothers (their parents passed away) and spends his days with a group of his friends believing that Socs are bad, Greasers are good and that's just the way life is. Until one night, he and his friend Johnny get jumped by Socs and Johnny ends up stabbing one of them and actually killing him. From this moment on, Ponyboy starts seeing the world a little differently and learns that not everything is so black-and-white.

I really liked this book, did I say that? I think the story has an honest voice. It flows vividly and kind of... consistently, I would say. Nothing feels to much or to little, it's kind of just right. The characters were amazing, they had dimension and they were complex. And that's not such a common thing, especially in a short book like this one, where there isn't a lot of room for pulling off characterization. But it was indeed pulled off here. I thought the author did an amazing job in transferring the thoughts and feelings of these boys, who have to grow up in such harsh environment and conditions. And this is a coming-of-age story, the realization that not everything is always as it seems and that actually there is so much more to people than we see, or believe. It's a book that makes you think, I feel that that is always nice. 

I liked the whole premise of Greasers and Socs. I think these kind of things are quite often. Kids do tend to divide themselves in these sort of groups and they end up not understanding anyone outside their little bubble. I feel like that aspect is covered nicely here, and the story shows how flawed and wrong it is. 

Anyways, really great book, I would recommend it to anyone and I give it 5/5 stars.

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

I've been wanting to read this book for so long, but I just couldn't get around to it, but I finally picked it up and I am so glad that I did.

This book is about a fifteen year old boy Craig who is having certain mental difficulties. He lives in New York and he got into this really important, hard, acclaimed business high school, but since the day he started it, he sort of got "bad". He started feeling really depressed and he couldn't deal with school and just general everyday life really. He spends most of his time with his friends chillin' (aka smoking pot), and just doesn't deal with life really. He stops eating, he can't sleep and just gets into this dark place. He eventually starts to think about killing himself, but instead of going through with it, he calls a suicide hotline, which refers him to a hospital. He goes there and checks himself in, and actually spends five days in a adult psychiatric ward. This is the story of him coming to turns with his problems and also about his time in the hospital. 

I really, really, REALLY loved this book. It was pretty amazing. I really liked the main character, Craig. He felt real. And I thought that it was great that he was a person who struggled with depression and other difficulties, but still managed to come off as a no-fuss guy really. And he was a smart and witty guy and just a relatable and likable character. He made a great narrator. 

I really liked the secondary characters. They were genuine, vivid and contributed so much to the story. And I really appreciated that they didn't become just a representation of their illness, there was more depth to them.

I also loved how this was written, it was strong, on point, and really showed what goes on through a person's head when they are struggling with these kinds of problems. 

The only thing that slightly annoyed me was that the first third of the book was quite slow in pace, but after that it picked up and became really amazing, so it's all good. 

This was a great read, really enjoyed it, gave it five stars on Goodreads and I would recommend it to everyone because it was amazing. 

Review: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

This is a pretty popular book. People seem to talk about it a lot. So, I decided to see if it was any good. Honestly, not so much.

Just to give a sort of a rundown, this book is about Tally Youngblood, who lives in a (future) world in which every person, upon reaching the age of sixteen, has to undergo a cosmetic procedure which makes them "pretty". So "uglies" can't wait to finally turn 16, so they can become beautiful like everybody else and join the New Pretty World where life is an endless party. All is fine and well, until Tally meets a girl named Shay, who, get this, doesn't want to have the surgery and would rather remain herself. Very controversial. Right before their "shared" birthday, Shay tells Tally she is running away to live in a secret community outside of town called the Smoke, and Tally is recruited by special forces to find the community. She is faced with the choice of either being ugly forever or betraying her friend.

I kind of formed a sort of love-hate relationship with this one. More of a like-hate relationship, but still.

On one hand, I think that the whole universe in which the story is set is quite interesting. I find it believable. People are very preoccupied with their looks, especially young ones. We tend to judge each other based solely on how someone looks, and these differences between people had had catastrophic consequences in the past. So this sort of a dystopian future felt real and believable to me. Whenever someone branded themselves or others as an "ugly" and truly believed it, I got this weird, unpleasant feeling. So I feel that that whole aspect was well written and imagined.

But, on the other hand I hated the character in these books. Detested them really.

I didn't feel for them at all. They could've been plummeting to their deaths, and I just thought meh. I couldn't care less. They had no depth to them whatsoever. They were just dull, plain and one-dimensional. I honestly can't point at one characteristic of the heroine and say "there's something that defines her" because there isn't any. At all. Except maybe her shallowness, but that's more due to the society she lives in than anything else. Her character just doesn't offer anything. For me, it was completely unrelatable. And when she met David, her "love", she really started getting on my nerves. One moment they didn't even acknowledge each other, but the next they were in love. I could've gone past it, if I just felt it, but I didn't. I was reading about their shared moments and again I was just like meh. Oh, and David? Even worse than Tally, even more plain and uninteresting. Obviously, the secondary characters are non-existent. They are there, for the sake of the story, but they don't bring anything to it. 

This book was a letdown for me, because I feel like people love it so much, and I just didn't. It was okay, but there were things (as stated above) that really irritated me. I am not even sure I want to keep reading these series. I might get back to it, when I am bored, but the first book didn't really make me want to keep reading. Which is too bad, because there were things I thought were good. 

Review: We Were Liars by E.Lockhart

I didn't expect to be writing a new post so soon, but I started reading We Were Liars and I finished it in one night. I just flew through it. I couldn't stop. It's not a long book, it has about 250 pages, but still. 

Cadence's family are the Sinclairs. They are a beautiful, distinguished, well-known and of course a rich family. They seem to be perfect. Or they are at least trying to be. Cadence Sinclair's grandfather owns a private island where the family spend their summers. So when Candence's dad leaves her and her mother, when she is fifteen, she can't wait to get to the island, where the outside world doesn't quite exist. She spends her days with her two cousins Johnny and Mirren, and Johnny's best friend Gat. They are the Liars, as they call themselves. Cadence loves it, and she even falls in love with Gat. But at the end of the summer, she goes out into the sea and has an accident, after which she has terrible headaches and has to take a lot of medication. She loses touch with her Liars and goes from doctor to doctor, trying to resolve what caused her severe head injury. Two years later, Cadence can't remember anything surrounding the accident and she can't remember most of that summer. She goes back to the island and as she reconnects with her friends, she tries to find out what happened to her.

I just loved this book so much. It was great. I found that a lot of people didn't like the style of the writing, but I honestly thought it was good, with it's short sentences.  It was sort of eerie, and sometimes gave me the chills. I feel like the writer managed to create a sort of cold atmosphere, the feeling of something bad happening, that flows through the whole book. And you want to know why. You want to see what is behind the perfect cover of the Sinclairs. I really liked the story, and I think that the ending will be so unexpected to anyone who reads it, but still I think that you can actually guess it. I know that doesn't make much sense, but I can only put it that way, without revealing and spoiling the ending.

I think that the book was really nicely conceptualized and executed. I think that it's very smart and clever and a really good book when it comes to young adult fiction. This is totally a book worth reading and I would recommend it to absolutely anyone, because it was amazing.