You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle

Posted by Tara on May 28, 2013 in Book, Reviews | 4 comments

You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle

Review of You Look Different in Real Life

Title & Author:
You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle
Publisher:
HarperTeen
Publication Date:
June 04, 2013
Pages:
368
Source:
Publisher via Edelweiss

For the rest of the world, the movies are entertainment. For Justine, they’re real life.

The premise was simple: five kids, just living their lives. There’d be a new movie about them every five years, starting in kindergarten. But no one could have predicted what the cameras would capture. And no one could have predicted that Justine would be the star.

Now sixteen, Justine doesn’t feel like a star anymore. In fact, when she hears the crew has gotten the green light to film Five at Sixteen, all she feels is dread. The kids who shared the same table in kindergarten have become teenagers who hardly know one another. And Justine, who was so funny and edgy in the first two movies,feels like a disappointment.

But these teens have a bond that goes deeper than what’s on film. They’ve all shared the painful details of their lives with countless viewers. They all know how it feels to have fans as well as friends. So when this latest movie gives them the chance to reunite, Justine and her costars are going to take it. Because sometimes, the only way to see yourself is through someone else’s eyes. – Goodreads

I loved Jennifer Castle’s first book – The Beginning of After. Loved it. So I really excited to finally get my hands on a copy of You Look Different in Real Life – and I loved it too!

I loved them in different ways. The Beginning of After was a quiet and beautiful portrayal of grief and moving on, but You Look Different in Real Life was more…I don’t want to say action-packed, but it was definitely less quiet.

And I don’t even know that that’s really what I’m trying to say because You Look Different in Real Life was also kind of a quiet and beautiful study of these five characters and how they’ve grown together and apart. I loved the focus on each character through Justine’s eyes and I loved Justine as the narrator. She was conflicted and hurt and real – but she still told everyone else’s story.

I think Jennifer Castle’s You Look Different in Real Life is beautifully written and perfectly told. Justine was the perfect narrator – and I think the story would have been vastly different from anyone else’s point of view. Although it would be really neat to have a few extra scenes or something from the other’s character’s point of view. Like I said, I’m a nerd who loves character study driven books.

I highly recommend picking up You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle. It was quiet but absolutely engaging and each character brought something different to the story. I can’t wait to read more from Jennifer Castle.

Other Books by Jennifer Castle

The Beginning of After

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Parallel by Lauren Miller

Posted by Tara on May 27, 2013 in Book, Reviews | 6 comments

Parallel by Lauren Miller

Review of Parallel

Title & Author:
Parallel by Lauren Miller
Publisher:
HarperTeen
Publication Date:
May 14, 2013
Pages:
432
Source:
Publisher via Edelweiss

Abby Barnes had a plan. The Plan. She’d go to Northwestern, major in journalism, and land a job at a national newspaper, all before she turned twenty-two. But one tiny choice—taking a drama class her senior year of high school—changed all that. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Abby is stuck on a Hollywood movie set, miles from where she wants to be, wishing she could rewind her life. The next morning, she’s in a dorm room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there. Overnight, it’s as if her past has been rewritten.

With the help of Caitlin, her science-savvy BFF, Abby discovers that this new reality is the result of a cosmic collision of parallel universes that has Abby living an alternate version of her life. And not only that: Abby’s life changes every time her parallel self makes a new choice. Meanwhile, her parallel is living out Abby’s senior year of high school and falling for someone Abby’s never even met.

As she struggles to navigate her ever-shifting existence, forced to live out the consequences of a path she didn’t choose, Abby must let go of the Plan and learn to focus on the present, without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that’s finally within reach.

It took me a while to figure out how I felt about Parallel by Lauren Miller. I put it down and I was just like WHAT IN THE HECK DID I JUST READ WHAT IS HAPPENING, etc. And then I immediately texted a friend to tell her that I was bringing Parallel to her at lunch tomorrow and she didn’t have a choice. I didn’t know how I felt about Parallel, but I wanted her to read it.

But after a day or so of thinking, I could safely say I loved Parallel. It was a bit hard to get into in the beginning – but once I was in, I was all in.

Parallel genuinely had me guessing – and I definitely didn’t expect the ending. I could not figure out this book or where it was going, but maybe that’s because I spent 75% of Parallel going “what the what the what.” It’s also entirely possible that paying attention to the time stamp in the chapter headings would have solved some of my confusion, but c’est la vie.

I liked Abby a lot. Both Abbys. It was interesting to see the subtle personality differences between Abby of the present and Abby of the 1-year-ago. Definitely still the same person, but you could tell Abby-of-the-present had grown a bit over the year, as time does to us. And I thought that was really cool, so bravo on your writing skills, Lauren Miller!

Basically what I’m trying to say is – pick up Parallel by Lauren Miller. It’s mind-bobbling, yet very engaging, with a set of characters I just loved. I thought Lauren Miller presented an excellent debut and I can’t wait to read more from her!

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Reboot by Amy Tintera

Posted by Tara on May 6, 2013 in Book, Reviews | 3 comments

Reboot by Amy Tintera

Review of Reboot

Title & Author:
Reboot by Amy Tintera
Publisher:
HarperTeen
Publication Date:
May 07, 2013
Pages:
352
Source:
Publisher via Edelweiss

Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation).

Wren’s favorite part of the job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has also never felt as alive as she does around Callum.

The perfect soldier is done taking orders. – Goodreads

Alright, I really, really liked Reboot by Amy Tintera. I thought the concept was super awesome and Amy’s storytelling skills are superb. I was just totally sucked in. I am a slow reader lately (sigh), but Reboot was one that I just had to finish the same day I picked it up.

I enjoyed both the story and the characters in Reboot. I thought Wren was a badass and I really enjoyed her character progression in Reboot. I loved seeing the process of her slowly starting to gain humanity and seeing the way it screwed with her head at first. It’s amazing that we have a character like Wren who is so strong and cold and brutal, but then also we can also really relate to her because who doesn’t remember their first awkward and strange crush?

I also really liked Callum and Wren’s best friend. They were great characters and I thought Amy did a great job creating their characters and making their personalities pop. Callum didn’t quite make my favourite love interests of all time list, but I have a feeling with the second or third book, it may be possible. He is kind of adorable.

And the storyline in Reboot – loved it. I loved reading about the future in Reboot and all the gruesome things people are going through. I’m a sucker for rebellion stories, and Reboot is no exception.

I thought the ending was pretty much perfect – just enough to leave me feeling content, but still dying for the next book.

You guys, I definitely recommend Reboot by Amy Tintera. It’s a solid and enjoyable story – definitely a bit of fresh air to the dystopian/sci-fi genre. The story will suck you in and the characters will keep you there. Amy Tintera presents a fantastic debut with Reboot and I absolutely can’t wait to get my hands on the second book in this series!

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Boundless by Cynthia Hand

Posted by Tara on Feb 8, 2013 in Book, Reviews | 3 comments

Boundless by Cynthia Hand

Review of Boundless

Title & Author:
Boundless by Cynthia Hand
Publisher:
HarperTeen
Publication Date:
January 22, 2013
Pages:
448
Source:
Purchased

The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California – and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must decide her fate once and for all. – Goodreads

Cynthia Hand’s series is one of those that I was almost scared to finish. Like I wanted to read Boundless so badly but I was scared of what would happen – I’d heard reports of sobbing and heartbreak and amazingness. I was just scared, okay?

But once I finally convinced myself to read Boundless, I could not put it down. Except for when my boyfriend got home from work, saw I was at a CRUCIAL MOMENT, and decided he wanted to watch all the things on TV with me.

Anyway, Boundless just totally sucked me in. I wouldn’t say I full on sobbed, but I totally teared up. And seriously almost had a book-thrown-at-the-wall moment a la The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray.

Like with Unearthly and Hallowed – I loved all the characters. I’ve never been a big Christian fan, but I even really liked him in Boundless. I loved Clara – she’s remained consistently awesome and hilarious and badass throughout the series, but there’s also character growth there. And I just have no words for how much I love Tucker.

I can’t resist commenting on how beautiful Cynthia Hand’s writing is. Cynthia Hand has a talent for describing things so visually – from the mountains of Wyoming to random college events at Stanford.

I’m sad that Boundless is the end of the Unearthly series, but I can accept that it’s time. And it was a really, really great ending. If you loved the first two books in this series and maybe are a little hesitant to read Boundless, I encourage you to totally do it. Boundless is the wonderfully bittersweet ending to a fantastic series and I just cannot wait to read more from Cynthia Hand – whatever it may be that she writes next.

(Random note: April warned me that I should read the Radiant novella before reading Boundless and I’m really glad I did, otherwise I would have been quite confused about a certain storyline. I’m not usually a novella girl, but in this case I do suggest you read it before Boundless or at least find someone to give you the gist!)

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Pivot Point by Kasie West

Posted by Tara on Feb 7, 2013 in Book, Reviews | 10 comments

Pivot Point by Kasie West

Review of Pivot Point

Title & Author:
Pivot Point by Kasie West
Publisher:
HarperTeen
Publication Date:
February 12, 2013
Pages:
336
Source:
ARC from Author

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without. – Goodreads

Pivot Point is a book that I’ve been looking forward to for ages – ever since Kasie West announced her book deal. And man, when I finally got to read Pivot Point, I just literally could not put it down.

I wanted Pivot Point to be a book I just kind of savored for a few days but I was hooked. The alternating chapters in Pivot Point seemed like they might be confusing at first but I just absolutely loved the switching back and forth between the different story lines. It was a very unique reading experience and I think it was pretty gutsy of Kasie West. But she pulled it off so flawlessly, I think. It added another level of suspense to the story – I never had a gut feeling which choice Addie would make and it was hard for me to choose with reality I liked more.

There was some plot beyond which reality Addie would choose and I liked it. It really helped to balance Pivot Point out – the story wasn’t completely overwhelmed by the different romances, at least not in my reading experience of Pivot Point.

I loved the characters in Pivot Point. I thought Addie was an amazing protagonist – she was so relatable. I mean, yeah she had a weird supernatural ability that allowed her to see the future, but she was placed in the same situations so many of us have to deal with – divorce, friendship, relationships. And not only is she relatable – she’s smart and witty, but not to an annoying level. I loved her best friend, too. Yay for legitimately good best friends who still aren’t perfect! And don’t even get me started on Duke and Trevor.

If you’re looking for an engaging story that is actually a really unique reading experience, I definitely recommend Pivot Point by Kasie West. I had no idea which choice Addie would make and I loved experiencing the journey to her decision. Pivot Point is a great debut with relatable characters and a decision I cannot fathom having to make. I absolutely cannot wait to read more from Kasie West.

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