Category: Reviews-Harper Collins USA

Today I am honored to be a part of the blog tour for Losing Clementine by Ashley Ream. Thanks to William Morrow for contacting me and allowing me to be a part of the tour.

Title: Losing Clementine
Author: Ashley Ream
Pub Date: March 2012
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Pages: 320

Source: I received a finish copy of the book for my participation in the book tour. This is an honest and sincere review.

About The Book:
In thirty days Clementine Pritchard will be finished with her last painting and her life.

World-renowned artist and sharp-tongued wit Clementine Pritchard has decided that she’s done. After flushing away a medicine cabinet full of prescriptions, she gives herself thirty days to tie up loose ends—finish one last painting, make nice with her ex-husband, and find a home for her cat. Clementine plans to spend the month she has left in a swirl of art-world parties, manic work sessions, and outrageous acts—but what she doesn’t expect is to uncover secrets surrounding the tragedy that befell her mother and sister. In an ending no one sees coming, will we lose Clementine or will we find her?

A bold debut from an exciting new voice, Losing Clementine is a wonderfully entertaining and poignant novel about unanticipated self-discovery that features one of the most irresistible, if deeply flawed, characters to grace contemporary fiction in years.

This is Ashley Ream’s debut novel and wow I really enjoyed it. It was actually nice to step away from young adult books for this one. When I got contacted about the book I knew I wanted to read it because it sounded so good.

Clementine Pritchard, is an artist who is extremely depressed and has decided that she is fed up with living her life always on all kinds of medications and has decided that in 30 days she will kill  herself. She starts by dumping all her medications down the toilet, firing her assistant (who is basically there to babysit her) and slowly getting rid of her worthily possessions.

Clementine has no idea how she is going to do it yet but has given herself 30 days to figure this out. Although one thing is clear in her mind she is going to do it in a nice clean easy way unlike that of her mother and sister.

The book is told in a day to day format. You can see in each day that she is trying to tie up any loose ends because she wants it to be her way and not have anyone worry about arranging it all. She knows what she is doing each and every step from buying a plot, to the casket, making sure her beloved cat Chuckles is cared for in a loving home to even tracking down her long lost father who abandoned the family when she was a young girl.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I was reading the book but I have to say I was surprised. I would laugh, cry and feel for Clementine. I am sure its a day to day struggle with depression and any mental illness and I am sure there is a point when you feel enough is enough and this is exactly how Clementine felt so you couldn’t help but feel for here.

As you read the book you are constantly wondering if she will do it or will something or someone stop her?

I was really impressed with the book and I am looking forward to other books by Ashley.

Thanks William Morrow for the book and allowing me to be on the tour.

Ashley Ream got her first job at a newspaper when she was 16. After working in newsrooms across Missouri, Florida and Texas, she gave up the deadlines to pursue fiction. She lives in Los Angeles where she works at a nonprofit and is finishing her next novel.

To find out more about Ashley Ream visit her by clicking on this.

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 338
Pub Date: November 2011

Source: I received a finished copy from the publisher for my honest review.

About the book:
Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war– and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.
-from Goodreads

Shatter Me was one of the most anticipated books on 2011 and it actually peaked my interest so much so that I was anxiously waiting for it to come out. So I was pretty excited when it showed up for review but yet a little apprehensive because so much hype was on this book. What would I think of this book?

I believe Shatter Me is going to be part of a trilogy.

I have to say that I don’t read alot of dystopian books and that is my choice. The book has to be something that interests me and this one did. This wasn’t a fast read for me.

I know so many people dislike the cover because they feel as though it doesn’t go with the book and yes that is true but I have to admit that I really love the cover.

As for the book itself I have read both negative reviews and positive reviews so I was excited to read the book to find out what I would think of it. I am usually one of those who reads a book and feel as though I am a fish swimming up river wondering why they loved it and when I didn’t or why didn’t they love it when I did. As for me I am on the fence with this I didn’t love it or hate it.

I enjoyed that the book wasn’t just a romance book or just an action packed book and that it actually left me wanting to find out what would happen next. I didn’t find it to be predictable at all and it played out very good. I enjoyed the writing and the only thing I had to get use to was when the author would write and scratch things through and then say it again but once I understood the purpose it all made sense.

Juliette is a young girl who was taken away because of something that happened that freaked people out and she is basically locked up in a cell for 264 without seeing a single person. She hasn’t seen or touched anyone. Not much is revealed in the first part of the book that would indicate why she was taken away without a fight and locked up. You actually think that she might be crazy because to make it through her time being locked up she counts things. Its only about half way through when you get to see the reasons why and can’t help but feel sorry for Juliette.

As for Adam, I was a little unsure of him at first but grew to love him because no matter what Juliette was or had done he was making it a mission to protect her no matter what. That is one of my all time favorite qualities in a guy one who can love a person for who they are and not what they are or did.

Would I read the next book? Of course I would because I am curious to see where this could go.