#BooksBoughtReview – Cindy's Love Of Books

Review/ There’s Someone Inside Your House

Posted on October 7, 2017 by Cindy

There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins
Format: Hardcover
Published by Dutton Books for Young Readers on September 26th 2017
Pages: 289
Goodreads

Scream meets YA in this hotly-anticipated new novel from the bestselling author of Anna and the French Kiss.

One-by-one, the students of Osborne High are dying in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasing and grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and the hunt intensifies for the killer, the dark secrets among them must finally be confronted.

International bestselling author Stephanie Perkins returns with a fresh take on the classic teen slasher story that’s fun, quick-witted, and completely impossible to put down.

I had to admit before getting into my review that I have not read Stephanie Perkins first books and I am not quite sure why because I have them sitting on my tbr but after reading this I really think I want to haul them off and binge read. I know those first books are a completely different genre but still I am now curious to read them.

I really enjoyed reading this one, I was hooked right away and had a hard time putting the book down at times.

This is completely outside my normal reading genre as you may notice and the reason I don’t read horror is because I have an over active imagination so these kinds of books I don’t usually gravity towards because I am up half the night being paranoid and worried. I do have to say that this isn’t a really horrifying book, I mean yes there was blood and killings but it wasn’t like watching Scream.

I am going to try and be careful with my review because I don’t want to give too much away but if you read the description you get a good feel for what the book is about.

Our main character, Makani, has moved from Hawaii to live with her grandmother in a small Nebraska town. She has no real relationship her parents and I was always wondering why and why did she move to live with her grandmother and that is slowly revealed as you read the book because you know there is a secret there. This secret still haunts her to this day and she has kept in guarded.

We are introduced to quite a few characters such as Alex, Darby, Ollie, Haley, Caleb, Rosemarie and a few others. At first I thought it was going to be too much to keep track of but it was easy to keep track of who was who and the part they play in the story. With the kids that are killed it would have been nice if they had a little more of a story line apart from when they were being killed if that makes sense. It was almost like characters were quickly introduced then killed. I think I might have enjoyed it a lot more had this been the case and they had a stronger storyline.

As for the killer I liked how it was built up because you didn’t really have an idea who it was (I had no idea who it was as there was no introduction of this character before hand) and I wish it would have lasted a bit longer or at least offered a few clues as to who it could be before hand. As for the reason why the killer killed was a bit of a let down. ‘

Over all it was a good book and I had no idea what to expect when I started to read it and I did enjoy reading it and its actually made me think about hauling her other books off my TBR to read.

Have you read this? What did you think?

Review: Love Lies Beneath by Ellen Hopkins

Posted on June 15, 2017 by Cindy

Love Lies Beneath by Ellen Hopkins
Format: Paperback
Published by Atria Books on April 26th 2016
Pages: 320
Goodreads

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Collateral comes a gripping novel about a woman caught in a love affair that could be her salvation...or her undoing.
Tara is gorgeous, affluent, and forty. She lives in an impeccably restored Russian Hill mansion in San Francisco. Once a widow, twice divorced, she’s a woman with a past she prefers keeping to herself.
Enter Cavin Lattimore. He’s handsome, kind, charming, and the surgeon assigned to Tara following a ski accident in Lake Tahoe. In the weeks it takes her to recover, Cavin sweeps her off her feet and their relationship blossoms into something Tara had never imagined possible. But then she begins to notice some strange things: a van parked outside her home at odd times, a break-in, threatening text messages and emails. She also starts to notice cracks in Cavin’s seemingly perfect personality, like the suppressed rage his conniving teenage son brings out in him, and the discovery that Cavin hired a detective to investigate her immediately after they met.
Now on crutches and housebound, Tara finds herself dependent on the new man in her life—perhaps too much so. She’s handling rocky relationships with her sister and best friend, who are envious of her glamour and freedom; her prickly brother-in-law, who is intimidated by her wealth and power; and her estranged mother. However perfect Tara’s life appears, things are beginning to get messy.
Writing in beautiful prose, Ellen Hopkins unveils a new style while evoking her signature poetic form that readers fell in love with in Collateral and Triangles.

Recently when I was at Chapters I spotted Love Lies Beneath by Ellen Hopkins on the bargain table and I picked it up to read the synopsis and it peeked my interest. I don’t think I have ever read anything by Ellen Hopkins in the past. I do recall owning a book or two of hers but not reading them.

Anyways I am so happy I picked this up because I started reading it and I am enjoying it. I found the beginning a little slow but once I got about half way into the book I literally had a hard time putting it down because I just had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. The way the second half progressed I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat reading to find out what was going on and then bam I was finished. I heard that there is a second book but no idea when its suppose to be released.

As I was getting set to do my review I noticed that there was a prequel to this called On the Rocks and its still available on wattpad for free. Which I read after the fact but I have to say that after reading it the whole story line made much more sense.

If you know Ellen you are familiar with her young adult writing which she does her whole books in verse and this is completely opposite because this is a adult fiction book written in the traditional format. I really enjoyed the writing as it was smooth and her story line was easy to follow. The list of characters were kept to a minimum so you weren’t able to get things confused.

Our main character is Tara who has wealth and privilege. She was a widow at a young age and has been divorced twice. She has no kids and no desire for kids so she lives her life the way she wants to live her life. She doesn’t have to answer to anyone and can do as she pleases. She is enjoying life to the fullest and loves the company of men.

During her annual ski trip with her sister Mel she gets in a accident and is rushed to the hospital and its there that she meets the ever so charming Dr. Cavin, who is an orthopedic surgeon. Tara has no problem calling the good dr up and inviting him out to dinner and its over the course of this relationship she begins to think that Cavin could be the next one to make her settle down.

As I was reading I was actually beginning to really like Cavin because he is that kind of character that you know you will love because he is sweet, charming and caring but then as you read you begin to think this guy is way to good he is up to something and as I was reading I kept getting feeling that something is up. He was too good to be true, if you know what I mean.

I am curious to see where this story line will lead and to discover more about Cavin and what he isn’t telling. I would difinitely read the next book in this series.

Review: Just Fly Away by Andrew McCarthy

Posted on June 13, 2017May 11, 2021 by Cindy

Just Fly Away by Andrew McCarthy
Format: Hardcover
on March 28, 2017
Pages: 260
Goodreads

“Ever wish that you could just fly away?”
When fifteen-year-old Lucy Willows discovers that her father has a child from a brief affair, a eight-year-old boy who lives in her own suburban New Jersey town, she begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her home and her life. How could Lucy’s father have betrayed the entire family? How could her mother forgive him? And why isn’t her sister rocked by the news the way Lucy is?
As her father’s secret becomes her own, Lucy grows more and more isolated from her friends, her family, and even her boyfriend, Simon, the one person she thought understood her. When Lucy escapes to Maine, the home of her mysteriously estranged grandfather, she finally begins to get to the bottom of her family’s secrets and lies.

I have to first begin this review saying that I am a huge Andrew McCarthy fan (he is my celebrity crush) and I was beyond thrilled when I got to meet him at BEA 2013 when he was talking about his audiobook The Longest Way Home. This was one of the panels I really wanted to attend. He was super sweet and friendly and was gracious enough to take a picture with me.

Okay enough gushing and onto my review of Just Fly Away. This is his first young adult novel. When it came out you know I had to run to chapters to pick it up and I was so happy it was actually on the shelf.

I really wanted to savour this book but I just couldn’t I literally read this in one sitting.

Lucy is a fifteen year old girl who over hears a conversation that her mother and father are having about an affair he had nine years ago and if that isn’t devastating she founds out she also has a half brother who is eight years old and living in the same town as them. Her father no longer has contact with the mother of the child.

Lucy is torn up because it seems like everyone has gotten over the affair. Her mother is still with her father, her sister basically couldn’t care less and this is tearing Lucy up inside. She is furious with her father and I think she has every right to be mad. Lucy tries to talk to her friends and her boyfriend but everyone seems to be okay and what is done is done.

Lucy decides she needs to get away so she runs off to Maine to visit her grandfather. I think this was one of my favorite parts of the book watching the relationship grow between granddaughter and grandfather. I think this is where Lucy truly grew up in the book. This was the healing point for her relationship with her father.

I really enjoyed reading the book even though at times it seemed a little slow. I would definitely read Andrew’s next book if one was to come out.

Review: Follow Me Back by A.V Geiger

Posted on June 12, 2017June 12, 2017 by Cindy

Follow Me Back (Follow Me Back, #1) by A.V. Geiger
Format: Paperback
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on June 6th 2017
Pages: 368
Goodreads

Tessa Hart’s world feels very small. Confined to her bedroom with agoraphobia, her one escape is the online fandom for pop sensation Eric Thorn. When he tweets to his fans, it’s like his speaking directly to her…
Eric Thorn is frightened by his obsessive fans. They take their devotion way too far. It doesn’t help that his PR team keeps posting to encourage their fantasies.
When a fellow pop star is murdered at the hands of a fan, Eric knows he has to do something to shatter his online image fast—like take down one of his top Twitter followers. But Eric’s plan to troll @TessaHeartsEric unexpectedly evolves into an online relationship deeper than either could have imagined. And when the two arrange to meet IRL, what should have made for the world’s best episode of Catfish takes a deadly turn…

Told through tweets, direct messages, and police transcripts.

Follow Me Back by A.V. Geiger is a debut novel that just released last week with the sequel to come out next year. No title or release date has been set yet and this will be a duology.

When I first heard about this book about two weeks ago I knew this would be a book I would want to read when it came out. I have to admit that I was pretty surprised that Chapters actually this book sitting on their shelf when I went looking for it. This was a fairly quick read for me because once I started it I couldn’t but it down. There was so many twist and turns. It literally felt like you were riding a roller coaster because you had no idea what was coming next.

Follow me back is told in a duo point of view and through twitter form, direct messages and police reports. This is a format that I really enjoy reading.

One of our main characters Tessa has severe agoraphia. This all developed when she suddenly left her a summer program in New Orleans and has not spoken to anyone about it. She refuses to speak about the incident even to her therapist. So you really have no idea what happened to her but you will discover this slowly as the story progresses. She is living at home with her mother and since being back has basically stayed in her room 24/7. Her mother and her boyfriend to the best they can but you can tell at times its very trying on them.

To deal with it she starts obsessing over Eric Thorn who is a teen sensation and big in the music world. Through that community she meets fans and forms friendships with something that her therapist thinks is good for her. Being online is her only real escape and something she has complete control over.

Eric on the other hand is not very happy with his lack of freedom, privacy and his fame and I think this has a lot to do with crazy fans killing their idols like we have seen so many stories in the past few years. Tessa picks up on his unhappiness and voices her concerns on social media but no one really listens to her.

Eric is frustrated how crazy the fans are becoming and it doesn’t help that his management is encouraging him to give them what they want. For Eric it just takes one fan rushing the stage to him and he is set on destroying his image and that means going after his number one fan with the most twitter followers @TessaHeartsEric which by the way is a real twitter account. He is set on trolling her but in the process he begins to form a relationship with her but she doesn’t realize who he really is because he is using another twitter account @Taylor . This is like an episode of Catfish..

Eric needs to come clean to Tessa because he is starting to have real feelings for her. So he sets up this elaborate contest of a private concert on New Year’s Eve in her home town. He convinces her to enter and when she does he picks her.

With his plan in motion things suddenly go wrong and he has to save her before its too late for both of them. How will Tessa react when she discovers who Taylor really is? Will this set her back further?

I really enjoyed the book and that cliff hanger agh its killing me. Hopefully we won’t have to wait long for the second book.

Review/ Passengers by Alexandra Bracken

Posted on January 5, 2017January 6, 2017 by Cindy

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
Format: Paperback
Published by Disney-Hyperion on December 6th 2016
Pages: 512
Goodreads

"Expert . . . Passenger succeeds as an adventure, as a romance and as a comparison of cultural norms." -New York Times Book Review
"Riveting, romantic... Fans of Outlander will see so much of Claire in Etta, who holds a smart and headstrong lens to history. I can't wait to voyage through the next volume." -Victoria Aveyard, New York Times #1 best-selling author of Red Queen
"Ambitious and exquisite." -Sarah J. Maas, New York Times #1 best-selling author of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series
In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles, but years from home. And she's inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she's never heard of. Until now.
Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods-a powerful family in the Colonies-and the servitude he's known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can't escape and the family that won't let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, his passenger, can find. In order to protect her, Nick must ensure she brings it back to them-whether she wants to or not.
Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods' grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home forever.

Alexandra Bracken is the author of several young adult books and sadly this is the first one of her’s that I have read. Not sure why I haven’t read her previous books but after this duology I will definitely be checking out her other books.

Can I just take a moment to comment on how beautiful this cover is? You have the New York skyline in the top bottle and a ship in the bottom bottle. The silver font blends in well with the book. Its by far a favorite cover to date.

Before beginning my review I should tell you that its been awhile since I have read a time traveler book and I never got into them so I never continued as it just wasn’t something that interested me. I am not a historical fiction, fantasy kind of person but after reading this I think I’m hooked.

I thought Alexandra did an excellent job with the writing of each era and what was going on. You can see alot of research went into the book to make it feel real and authentic. It made you feel like you were actually there with Etta and Nicholas.

Passenger is the first book in the duology which I have to say I really liked knowing that it was just this book and Wayfarer.

There are two main characters in Passenger and that is Etta and Nicholas. Etta is from the present day and is a violin prodigy from New York City. Nicholas is a sailor who is from the 18th century, colonial America.

As you can probably tell Etta is thrown from her present world into a world and era she has no idea about which starts off on Nicholas’s ship in 1776. Throughout the course of the book Etta and Nicholas travel various eras and places in history such as 1776 the Atlantic and New York City, 1940 London, 1685 Angkor, 1880 Paris, and then finally 1599 Damascus. It was interesting to read that they could actually go back and forth in time.

In the beginning Etta has no idea what is going on because she has no idea or experience but quickly realizes and learns along the way that this is a matter of life and death and the stakes are high in order to survive.

I must admit that this wasn’t a fast read and it took me awhile to get through the first half of the book and I am happy that I stuck with it because I got to enjoy the book. I thought there was a lot of information at first but then I realized how important it was to the over all story line because clues and details were revealed that made it all work out and make sense.

I really enjoyed the book once I got past that little hurdle and found the book to pick up in pace and I admit towards the end I wasn’t able to put the book down because I needed to know what was happening.

Another thing I loved about Passengers was that it literally ended in a cliff hanger that I didn’t see coming and I think that its a good thing when I book leaves you hanging like that and thankfully I have Wayfarer sitting here so I was able to continue reading it without having to wait.

Check back later on for my review of Wayfarer.

Review/ First Love by James Patterson & Emily Raymond

Posted on January 21, 2016January 16, 2016 by Cindy

First Love by James PattersonEmily Raymond
Format: Paperback
Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on December 15th 2015
Pages: 336
Goodreads
Genres: Dating & Sex, Death & Dying, Friendship, Love & Romance, Runaways, Social Issues, Young Adult

The New York Times bestseller First Love is now available in paperback, and illustrated with never-before-seen snapshots evoking the romantic trip of a lifetime.

Axi Moore is a "good girl". When Axi invites her best friend, Robinson--with whom she's secretly in love--to come with her on a cross-country road trip, she's finally breaking all the rules. But they soon find that, however far they run, they can't escape the heartbreaking troubles that brought them together in the first place.

In this madcap adventure full of love and loss, Axi realizes that her romance with Robinson might not have the happy ending she was hoping for....

As I was beginning to write this review I quickly realized that this book was released before with different covers. So just in case you think this is new you might want to check to see if you already read it.

I am a huge fan of James Patterson’s books and I admit its been awhile since I read them and I am a bit behind so I need to get caught up. First Love is not like his typical crime thrillers which was a nice little break. First Love is a sweet story that makes you think of your first love.

Axi is your typical sixteen year old girl. She is a good student and her life is focused. She is that girl who can do no wrong she has never gotten into trouble and she avoids trouble at all cost. She is probably everyone’s dream child who can do no wrong and she does no wrong.

Out of the blue Axi decides she has had enough and wants something different and she wants to experience life so she makes a plan to run away. She is fed up with her life in the small town. She hasn’t had it easy. Her younger sister died of cancer and her mother left the family and never returned and her father is an alcoholic who is basically drinking his problems away and Axi realizes this is probably why her mother left. She enlists her best friend Robinson to go with her.

Robinson is the complete opposite of Axi in which he breaks every rule if possible and will charm his way to get what he wants and its worked for him.

With cash in her pocket and a schedule of places to go and see, Axi and Robinson head out. Axi thinks they will hope the bus to travel but Robinson has other plans if they are going to do this cross country trip they steal motor cycles, cars, trucks etc and almost never getting caught. Whenever they get in a bind Robinson manages to use his charm to get out of trouble. This is the trip of a life time for both and they are going to places they always wanted to.

Axi and Robinson are making memories that will last a life time. Axi is determined to find a way to tell Robinson how she really feels about him but at times she wonders if he feels the same way. Is it worth risking their friendship for?

I won’t give to much away but I will say that while they are on the road and enjoying their adventure they hit a bump in the road that should stop them but it doesn’t its like they almost know what the outcome will be if the stop it and I think they both want to continue this trip because its more then just and adventure its a matter of life and death and making memories that will always be cherished.

I loved how the book included photographs of their trip and I think that is why I enjoyed it even more. It was a nice touch to the book.

I should warn you that you will need some tissue towards the end of the book and I didn’t realize that right away because up until that point the book was light and fun and I laughed at parts and shock my head in others but I really enjoyed reading this book it was a nice light and fun read. It was the perfect read.

Review/ Can’t Look Away

Posted on May 25, 2015March 7, 2015 by Cindy

Can't Look Away by Donna Cooner
Format: Paperback
Published by Scholastic Inc. on August 26th 2014
Pages: 272
Goodreads
Genres: Adolescence, Dating & Sex, Death & Dying, Social Issues, Young Adult

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?

This is Donna Cooner’s second book and it was just as good as her first one called Skinny. Which I read and review on my blog and you can read my review by CLICKING ON THIS TEXT.

I didn’t realize she had a second book out until I was going through the Scholastic book club flyers. When I saw it I instantly ordered it. I read it right away. It was a fun quick read.

Torrey Gray is a 15 year old youtube beauty guru with a huge fan base who is dealing with the lose of her sister, Miranda who got hit by a drunk driver.

When you watch youtube stars you think that everything in their life is perfect and that is exactly what they want you to see and Torrey is not exception. She views all her subscribers as online friends and they are there to boost up her confidence and make her feel good.

What once brought joy to Torrey is now her downfall as all the haters are coming out and blaming Torrey for the death of her sister, saying it was her fault.

I am going to admit in the beginning I had a hard time warming up to Torrey because she came off as very vain and wanting to please the fans more then what her sister wants. Miranda had better things to do then be conned into taking photos of her sister at the mall. I am sure when Torrey started out she was humble but I think once those subscriber numbers increase she turned into this whole other person and I have noticed that in watching some youtubers.

In the beginning they are so humble and appreciate what they have but once they start growing its like they forget who they are and its all about getting more viewers and they loose who they truly are.

So I was wondering how this journey of moving to Texas would change Torrey and it was nice to see with some help of a good friend, Luis who helps her see things and helps her come to terms with the death of her sister.

But will Torrey come to terms with the lose of her sister?

Just remember everything you say and do on the internet lives forever.