Isla and the Happily Ever After: Book Review

Title/ Author:  Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Publisher/ Year:  Dutton, 2014.
How I Read It:  Hardback 
Why I Read It:  Stephanie Perkins.  Obviously.
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

This is the third and final companion novel of Anna, Lola, and here we have Isla.  This was a great ending to this world and Stephanie Perkins is fab.

Summary from Goodreads: Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last? 

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart. 

Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.

All I can say is that Stephanie Perkins does it again, and again and again.  First, Étienne St. Clair & the beauty of Paris stole my heart, then the boy next door, and then the artist who finally saw what he had been missing all along.  The characters in these books set my expectations of men very high, though who knows, maybe one day I'll find my Étienne, Cricket, or Josh.  

Back to the book, Isla and Josh seem so perfect for each other.  Isla was in love with Josh since she could remember.  She had always been in love with Josh.  Reading about her character in Anna gave me a different impression of Isla.  It made it seem like she was incredibly shy.  She still is shy, but she's affectionate and has a lot of heart.  Above all, like every girl out there, she wants to be loved.  Josh broke out of his shell in this book too.  I saw a different, more vulnerable side to him.  He is an artist.  He is smart.  And he loves Isla.  Comparing his relationship to Rashmi compared to Isla, he fit more perfectly with Isla.  They understood each other and depended on each other.  

There was so much cuteness and angst in this story that had my heart flipping miles a minute.  The fact that Josh kept drawing Isla even after their chance encounter in Manhattan.  The fact that Josh did his best to include Kurt instead of brushing him aside.  The little things Josh did for Isla and things she did for him.  Josh's life story in a book was a nice part to the book, digging in a little bit deeper into his character.  The whole book was magical.  The characters were entertaining and had unique purposes.  Like all of Perkins's works, truly beautiful.  

Overall, I think it was a beautiful ending to the Anna, Lola, Isla saga. Stephanie Perkins took me on an amazing journey & I'm so thankful I had the pleasure of experiencing it. Isla wasn't as good as the other 2 in my opinion, meaning it's not like 5 stars or a part of my favorites list, but throughout the entire story, I couldn't stop reading & I deeply missed Steph's writing. So happy I read this. And I'm even happier that the entire time, Etienne St. Clair has been taller than me.

And the final ending.  PERFECTION.

Sarah's End of the Year Reading Challenge + Update!

Hello everyone!  I'm sorry I haven't been on in months!  College was more jam packed than I realized & I had so much going on that it would be too difficult to read and blog.  During my entire first semester, I only read 6 books, three of them being for school.  Obviously I did a good job here.

Thankfully, with finals being over and having 3 weeks of break before I head back to school, I have made it my mission to finish my Goodreads 2014 Reading Challenge.  Since I got home from school, I have read 9 books and am currently reading my tenth.  In addition to that, I still have 8 more books to read and 9 more days left before the year ends.  The question is...can I do it?

Here are the books I read since getting home:

1. The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan*

2. Double Crossed:  A Spies and Thieves Story by Ally Carter

3. Just One Night by Gayle Forman

4. Let it Snow:  Three Holiday Romances by Maureen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle*

5. The Young Elites by Marie Lu*

6. Burn for Burn  by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian*

7.  Exile by Kevin Emerson

8.  Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs*

9. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher*

*Hopefully, I'll be able to review some of these for you

Other books that I've been able to read during my first semester were Isla and the Happily Ever* After as well as Four.

I know I've been on a super hiatus, but I'm back for now.  And hopefully, I can finish my goal.  It's gonna take a lot of motivation and strength, and especially with Christmas coming up, it might slow me down a bit.  But, I'm not giving up.

8 books, 9 days.  Let's do this.

HEIST SOCIETY SERIES REVIEW

Title/ Author: Heist Society by Ally Carter

Publisher/ Year: Disney-Hyperion, 2010.

How I Read It:  Hardcover 
Why I Read It:  I actually reread this, because I forgot a lot of what had happened in this book and I wanted to complete the rest of the series.
Rating:  3 stars out of 5

Title/ Author:  Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

Publisher/ Year:  Disney-Hyperion, 2011.

How I Read It:  Hardcover (library book)

Why I Read It:  It's the sequel to Heist Society

Rating:  3 stars out of 5 

Title/ Author: Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter
Publisher/ Year: Disney-Hyperion, 2013.
How I Read It:  Hardcover (library book)
Why I Read It:  I wanted to see how the series would end and *SPOILER SORTA* see Kat and Hale actually DTR LIKE SERIOUSLY
Rating:  4 stars out of 5

Summary from Goodreads of Heist Society: 

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

Overall, I enjoyed the series as a whole.  I love the concept and think the characters are awesome, but for the first 2 books I wasn't completely entertained, which is why I gave them each 3 stars.  The reason that I gave the last book 4 stars was due to the fact that the main conflict was surrounding Hale and his family (who we really didn't know very much about other than he was rich, spent all his time away from that family, and W.W. stands for something that we have no idea what it is).  Hale's story interested me.  Stolen paintings and emeralds?  Eh, it was cool but wasn't that cool to me.

The series is seriously well put together and everything is connected in one way or another.  A character shows up one book.  Don't think they'll come back again or show relevance?  HAHAHAHA.  Again, there's Hale's secret life, living the best of both worlds (Kat's world & his world).  All the conspiracies and dealings with Vasily Romani?  There's so much going on and it's literally so important to pay attention to the details because HELLO. THEY ARE A HEIST SOCIETY/ SPIES/ WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL THEM.

These characters are pretty awesome & yay for awesome female protagonists!  The only ones that really had character development though were Kat and Hale.  It kind of just felt like the other characters were there.  I mean, Nick and Uncle Eddie felt important, because they played pretty crucial roles, but Gabrielle, the twins, and Simon felt like fillers.  They were needed for something as a part of the Heist Society, but I wasn't really interested in their backstories as much as the other characters.

Now though I wasn't as a big a fan of the first 2 books, the last book makes it completely worth it.  Especially since the relationship between Kat and Hale is confusing to follow and you're not entirely sure if they're together.  It wasn't exactly established.  But I think learning much more about Hale & the fact that Kat may have something even bigger than herself to lose in the last book made it so much more enjoyable.  This series doesn't beat The Gallagher Girls series by far, but it's still pretty good.  The plots are awesome and unique & I do recommend it.  But read TGG series first.

Book Review: The Bridge from Me to You + UPDATE

Title/ Author:  The Bridge from Me to You by Lisa Schroeder
Publisher/ Year:  Point, 2014.
How I Read It:  E-book, courtesy of NetGalley
Why I Read It:  I love contemporary and this sounded interesting.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Summary from Goodreads:  

Lauren has a secret. Colby has a problem. But when they find each other, everything falls into place. 

Lauren is the new girl in town with a dark secret. Colby is the football hero with a dream of something more. In alternating chapters, they come together, fall apart, and build something stronger than either of them thought possible--something to truly believe in.

QUICK UPDATE

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't posted anything in a while.  There's been so much going on like well, I just moved into college last week and I've been settling in and figuring out my schedule and when I can read/ blog/ do everything else.  I promise when I am more settled, I will post a lot more.  But, for now, this transition is a pretty big one.  

REVIEW TIME YAY

This book was only just okay for me.  It had its high moments, but there were parts where all I wanted to do was put this book down.  I couldn't just sit down and read it.  When I was getting near the end, it was a lot easier to get through the book, because I was looking forward to what would happen with Lauren and with Colby.  Let me just make this absolutely clear: The Bridge from Me to You is a very well written book.  Schroeder delivered very well in that area.  The plot, while interesting and entertaining, wasn't as complex as I wished it could be.  Sure, the characters had depth that made their characters relatable and believable, but for some reason, I wasn't as invested as I wish I was.

What I like a lot about this book is the fact that the romance was not the main concept of the book.  Of course, romance was a very prevalent part, but it was well balanced with Lauren's and Colby's issues.  Also, little things like Lauren's love of Bugles and Colby's love for bridges played out nicely throughout the novel and brought something to their characters.  Throughout the entire novel, since the moment they first met, you knew they wanted to be together, but the struggles of Lauren's difficult family life, the pressure of sports and Benny's accident came between them and attempted to pull their growing relationship apart.  It's the truth of reality.  Happily ever afters aren't gonna happen the way you want it to happen, but all you can do is keep hoping for the best, like Lauren and Colby.  Overall, their moments were cute, and they really did get each other's situation, so they knew how to comfort/ help each other through it...as friends, lovers, etc.  

The dual POV was interesting.  Lauren's POV was more poetic than Colby's.  It was confusing at first and honestly, I could have dealt without the dual POV.  Some books can pull it off, but frankly, I found it annoying.  Also, I thought it was weird how they both developed feelings for each other almost immediately.  Of course, they got to know each other, but just seeing both POVs alternating talking about how much they want to be with the other (and of course not even acting on it), it was pretty annoying at the beginning.  By the end, I was used to it.  But seriously, I did not like the dual POV.  Another thing I was sorta confused about was the fact that certain things are mentioned in the book but aren't brought up again until much later in the book, or not mentioned enough to a point where it felt unnecessary to have that aspect as a part of the book.

I was talking to my one friend about a quote I saw asking if it was accurate or just for her thoughts on it:

"Small-town life isloving the wide roads one day and wanting to leave and never look back the next.

But you accept that's how it is, because you're a part of something.  And because...it's home."

This part is from Lauren's POV, and I just think it's beautiful.  Moving to a new town, a small town, she had to learn how to accept it and live a life there.  My friend lives in a small town and she told me that this quote hit home for her.  And this quote is especially really beautiful because the setting is super important in the book.

Overall, it was a good, heartwarming story.  It's no Stephanie Perkins or Jenny Han novel, where all you get is butterflies and swooning, but it definitely makes you feel good at the end, whereas everything seems to be resolved in a way.

Top Ten Tuesday #9: Books People Have Been Telling Me That I MUST Read

Top Ten Tuesday is an weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Each week participants list their Top Ten choices for a weekly theme. This week's theme is: Top Ten Books People Have Been Telling Me That I MUST Read!

Luckily in my blogsphere and online book friend-o-sphere, I have friends who pretty much lay down the law and say, "SARAH. READ THIS."  Or in general someone will have finished up a book and say "READ THIS IT IS SO GOOD."  And anytime I ask for recommendations, they say the EXACT same book every single time.

1.  Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson:  My one friend who I feel is Morgan's biggest fan is absolutely in love with her books and just at the mention of her books she will start to go in all caps saying how much she loves her books or wants me and others to read them.  I've already read Second Chance Summer and Since You've Been Gone and LOVED them, so this would be next best.

2. The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin:  I have read the first book, so this book would be next and my one friend is totally in love with this series and Noah Shaw & of course she has the highest recommendation for this book and for this series.

3. Perfected by Kate Jarvik Birch:  Another friend that I have won't stop talking about this book and how great it is.  Not to mention, she has a selfie of her and the book as her profile picture.  

4.  Nil by Lynne Matson:  I'm pretty sure this was described to me as The Maze Runner meets Lost.  It sounds so interesting and I'm excited to read it, but my TBR list is so so long!

5. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls:  My sophomore English teacher, who I have frequent conversations about books we've read, recommended me this book.  In fact she ordered me to read it.  We have different reading interests, but I won't let her down.  Even though I keep procrastinating reading it.  I'll get on that!

6.  Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout:  My friends have been bingeing this series and now these books are one of the main topics of conversation.  I really like the idea of the series, and I think I'll pick it up soon!

7.  Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher:  I've heard from so many people that this book is everything and I should read it.  That I need to read it.  It looks like something I would love and take to heart, so I'm excited to read it, when I get to it of course.

8.  A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Husseini:  Again, my sophomore English teacher, aka my fave teacher, recommended me this book & said it was her favorite.  And from what I've heard about it, I have no doubts about how good the book is, or will be to me.

9.  Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard:  My librarian friend, who happens to be a blogger and booktuber, recommended me this book saying that if I loved The Infernal Devices series, I would love this.  I hope to read it in the near future!

10.  The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau:  Highly recommended by my one friend who loves the series & she loves talking to the author.  I'm not sure if I'll read the book yet, but because it's recommended by this one person, I might give it chance.  MIGHT.

What's your Top Ten?

When You Just Need Some Motivation From Brilliant Books And Authors...

Today was my high school graduation party & it was nice seeing my school friends, church friends, and family all in one place celebrating my accomplishments and sending me off to college.  It's crazy thinking that I'm leaving for college in about 5 days.  THIS FRIDAY.  It seems like just yesterday I entered high school just looking for someone to be my friend.  

One of my very first friends in high school came to celebrate with me, and I'm so glad I got to see her before we both headed off to college.  Now, when you graduate high school, that's when the relative and friends give you loads of money to help you pay for your education cause college education is pretty darn expensive.  And I'm extremely thankful for all their help, love and support throughout the years.  But this one friend, she didn't give me money...she gave me something that I'll never forget, never misplace, and always love...something too meaningful that I'm just so happy she's my friend.  

She gave me a bunch of "College Pick-Me-Up Quotes".  The first card says that, and on the back, she wrote, "When You Just Need Some Motivation From Brilliant Books and Authors."  After reading through all of them, I felt like crying cause it was absolutely thoughtful and it's something I know I'll be taking with me to college.  Here they are, and I hope you find some motivation and inspiration in them too.

"When you need to remind yourself why you're not sleeping and instead learning about the Fall of the Ottoman Empire."

"When your bed is soft and warm but you know you have an 8 AM class to get to."

"When there are many big fish in the sea."

"When the professor is of no help and you need to hit the library instead."

"When you get a college crush ;)"

"When the campus library beckons." 

"When finals cramming is done and/or when you turn 21."   

"When haters gonna hate.

SARAH

determined
intelligent
beautiful"

#MoreSelection: The Selection Series News!

Today was one of the best days ever for many reasons.  

1. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins was finally published today & I have to say this is one of my most anticipated books this year.  I can't wait to read it and have my heart melt.
2. The most iconic scene from Jane Austen's Emma was finally seen on Emma Approved today, and my heart was beating so fast, and I was so scared for what was about to happen.  Never having read Emma, I really didn't know what was going to happen.  But what did happen was the best thing ever.  KnightHouse forever.
3. Waking up this morning, I immediately checked twitter and saw the news in a video posted by Kiera Cass about an unlock campaign to unlock the first three chapters of The Queen & a second Epilogue to The Selection series.  We had to tumble, insta and tweet #MoreSelection in order to get these things.  Also Kiera had some Q & A's throughout the day which you can see on her twitter! (@KieraCass)

Now if you didn't know, The Selection is one of my favorite series, and it's just meant so much to me over the past couple years and I feel so blessed with all the friends I've made and the opportunity to meet Kiera Cass in person.  

photoshopped picture such swag (except for me, Kiera, and my friend Sylvia in the middle)

I thought it was completely over after The One and I was very happy with how it ended.  VERY VERY HAPPY.  So I guess you could imagine how happy I was that the second Epilogue was unlocked.  I really didn't think I could be happier.  BUT IN FACT MY HEART WAS SO HAPPY AND I WAS GUSHING.  My twitter was FILLED with everything related to The Selection.  Every post had #MoreSelection.  I was fangirling with my friends, sending awkward snapchat videos... it was just all around crazy.  If you want to read the first 3 chapters of The Queen and the second Epilogue, go to unlockmoreselection.com and see for yourself!  But of course, wait til you've read the entire series first.  THEN you can come back and read.

After everyone was finished reading and freaking out about the second Epilogue, Kiera dropped a HUGE bomb on us Selectioners.

First she revealed the release date for The Queen which is an Amberly novella, which is scheduled to come out December 2, 2014 on ebook!  She also revealed that she is working on a Marlee novella titled The Favorite which is scheduled to come out March 3, 2015 on ebook!  And of course, these two novellas would be just perfect in The Selection Stories #2 which also comes out March 3, 2015.

But of course that wasn't all.  When Kiera said #MoreSelection, SHE WASN'T KIDDING.  

WE GET TWO MORE BOOKS.  LIKE FULL LENGTH.  OF THE SELECTION SERIES.  As I was watching this video, I screamed and jumped around and I was so so happy I could cry.  My heart was so happy.  And my sanity was officially gone.

The next full length Selection book coming out is titled The Heir and is expected to come out May 5, 2015 (2 DAYS AFTER MY BIRTHDAY).  Of course this date isn't officially official yet, but you can bet I'll be here when the news comes.  According to Kiera, The Heir will be from a different POV.  Hmmmmm... any theories?  I have a few for sure.  

I am very excited for what's to come with The Selection series and am extremely happy to know that this wonderful series is not over.  We have 2 novellas and 2 more books to look forward to.  #MoreSelction, More Feels.

Feature & Follow Friday #7: Suggest a Question!

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!

If you wish to follow me, I'm on Bloglovin and GFC!  

This week's question:  

Suggest a question! We need questions of the week for future FFs. Any ideas?

I think a book playlist would be pretty cool, or maybe talk about something related to back to school?  I'm creative but not that creative haha.

Don't forget to link me to your FF post so I can check it out and follow you back! :)

TEA TIME REWIND #71 (2): Book Care!

This is my second time doing a Tea Time Rewind based on this week's Tea Time video hosted by the wonderful Epic Reads.

If you have never heard of Epic Reads, they are the YA community of HarperCollins publishers and they're just really cool and awesome and if you love YA, you'll love Epic Reads.  

So every Wednesday at 3:45 EST, They have this awesome thing called Tea Time where the wonderful hosts, Margot and Aubry, just talk YA books and ask & answer a bunch of questions and it's just a really great way of connecting with other readers and learning about books you probably should read.

Watch this week's video here!

So first on the agenda...
What Am I Reading?

Well, I just recently finished Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas which I absolutely LOVED.  And yesterday, I finished Floating Boy and the Girl Who Couldn't Fly by P. T. Jones which I really didn't care for.  But the book I am reading right at this moment is Heist Society by Ally Carter.  I'm actually rereading this right now so I can jump into the next two books in the series as soon as I'm done and know what's going on.

Then we moved onto the question of the week:
If you were moving, how would you downsize your book collection if you need to?

As I'm going to college, I've been thinking about this a lot.  Of course I'll leave a lot of my books at home, and I'm gonna be bringing some of them to college with me.  But moving specifically, I'm not sure how I would cope with downsizing my book collection.  I am too much of a book hoarder.  I'm the girl with 3 physical copies of Mockingjay, let's be real here.  I might give some to friends who I know would be able to take care of it, or I might give away some of the ARCs I received.  And if there's a book I know I'm never gonna read, there's no reason for me to keep it.  Donating to Half Price Books might be a good option.  But, I'm not at this level right now.  I'm gonna keep being a book hoarder because BOOKS.

Then we have the question inspired by the latest Book Nerd Problems Video!
What book have you and your BFF disagreed on?

Over the years, there have been books I have disagreed on with my friends, but I'll just name a couple that come to mine.

A book I love that my friends don't:

The Summer series by Jenny Han

I LOVE this book series, and was very happy to recommend it to 3 of my friends.  Turns out they didn't like it as much as I did.  This turned into constant group chat arguments about why we like one of the brothers over the other or how extra annoying Belly is.  I mean, my goodreads ratings for all 3 books are 5+ stars each.  My friends rated the series 3 stars.  ONLY 3?  IS YOUR MIND OKAY?  I THINK YOU NEED TO SEE A DOCTOR.  NOT THE DOCTOR WHO FLIES AROUND IN A TARDIS BUT AN ACTUAL DOCTOR THAT GIVES YOU SHOTS AND SUCH.

A book my friends love that I don't:

My Life Next Door & What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Honestly, these books were entertaining and they were cute but it just didn't cut it for me.  I don't know what it was about these books, maybe the constant idea of sex or the fact that in My Life Next Door the first real conversation between Samantha and Jase felt completely unnatural?  And in both books, you think it's happily ever after but then you realize there's about 100 more pages left.  Oh goody!  A new conflict.  I mean the books weren't terrible but would I read another book by Huntley?  Probably not.

And finally...

Book Care Tips

Honestly, I have none.  The Tea Time video pretty much covered those bases.  But one this I suggest that everyone hates...if you have a book that you pretty much treasure, it might be a good idea to keep the dust jacket on.  You wouldn't want any grease on the cover would you?  Or another tip I recommend, specifically for stickers on books...if you don't have Goo Glue but you just want to peel it off that way, first of all be careful.  And if you have strong and long nails, try taking the sticker off like you would but on tights, where you should probably bunch it all together first.  Don't just peel and go, but make sure you don't leave room for error.

And that is all for now.  Until next time, fellow Crumpets!

Book Review: Floating Boy and the Girl Who Couldn't Fly

Title/ Author:  Floating Boy and the Girl Who Couldn't Fly by P. T. Jones
Publisher/ Year:  ChiTeen, 2014.
How I Read It:  E-book, courtesy of NetGalley
Why I Read It:  It sounded good & I decided to read it.
Rating: 2 stars out of 5

Summary from Goodreads:  Things Mary doesn’t want to fall into: the river, high school, her mother’s life.
Things Mary does kind of want to fall into: love, the sky.

This is the story of a girl who sees a boy float away one fine day. This is the story of the girl who reaches up for that boy with her hand and with her heart. This is the story of a girl who takes on the army to save a town, who goes toe-to-toe with a mad scientist, who has to fight a plague to save her family. This is the story of a girl who would give anything to get to babysit her baby brother one more time. If she could just find him.

It’s all up in the air for now, though, and falling fast. . . .
Fun, breathlessly exciting, and full of heart, Floating Boy and the Girl Who Couldn’t Fly is an unforgettable ride.

I'm going to be honest...this book was a huge waste of my time.  I really regret requesting to review it for NetGalley.  There were so many things that disappointed me about this book.  First was the fact that the Goodreads summary really doesn't give the book justice.  I thought this was gonna be a book written beautifully like the way Gayle Forman's writing or Tahereh Mafi's writing is.  The summary is just a tease.  The book, in my opinion, while there were interesting ideas there, it felt poorly written.  I could see the potential, but it just wasn't at all interesting.  From Liv and Mary's texts to each other to the Floating Boy actually literally being called Floating Boy throughout the book (THE BOOK IS LITERALLY THE TITLE).  The summary makes it seem like it's magical or metaphorical.  The book isn't even written in the same style as its summary which is super misleading.  

One of the things that annoys me about this book is that there was no depth to the characters.  It was all plot and no substance.  I didn't relate to any of the characters and actually found them quite annoying.  The only characters that were fairly intriguing were Floating Boy and Mr. Barron, just because they have some sort of back story that contributes to the plot.  That was pretty much the only thing that kept me reading.  And there were certain hints around the book that revealed some of the questions I had, but it wasn't put together that well, considering I was confused for a majority of the book and felt myself skimming just because I was dying to be done.

Given that most of my review is negative, I will admit that it was entertaining and it had great potential to be a good book, but it just didn't appeal to me, and it's not something I would recommend to my friends.  

Songs That Perfectly Match Books!

This post is inspired by a post I read by Jillian @ Jillian's Books!  Take a look at hers first!  She was really spot on with her choices.  I really love the concept and had me thinking of multiple times I was reading a book and I was either listening to music or it immediately reminded me of a song that completely matched the book.  This is a lot longer than I originally anticipated, but I felt like this post wouldn't be complete without everything in my mind put in this post.  I know for a fact I have to be missing some songs or something, but anyway, here we go!  Sorry Jillian for taking your layout here, but you did an awesome job, I couldn't imagine it a better way.

The Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan

Song: Keep Me Alive by Weatherstar

Why it Matches With the Book:  It really just captures a lot of the themes in the book series.  Percy Jackson, as a demigod, literally is just trying to survive, regardless of the obstacles he has to face.  It also kinda highlights his growth throughout the series.  Not to mention, this is a perfect Percabeth song as well.  He and Annabeth make a good team, they rely each other, and they're literally in the adventure together.  

"My eyes they don't see straight, when my world feel down like an earthquake, and I can't stand up cause my knees shake.  Somebody just keep me alive."

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Song:  Almost is Never Enough by Ariana Grande feat. Nathan Sykes

Why it Matches With the Book:  Not only is this song on the City of Bones soundtrack, but it fits too perfectly with Clary and Jace's relationship.  Just the fact that they want to be together and it's difficult to deny it considering the circumstances. 

 "We can deny it as much as we want, but in time our feelings will show."

The Summer I Turned Pretty series by Jenny Han

Song:  Mary's Song (Oh My My My) by Taylor Swift

Why it Matches With the Book:  I love the whole "growing up aspect" of the song and how you see the transgression of the boy and the girl from childhood to adolescence to adulthood & that's exactly what we see in this book between Belly and the two brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah.  I have a specific boy in mind, but for those who haven't read the book yet, I won't spoil you.  

"Well I was sixteen when suddenly, I wasn't that little girl you used to see but your eyes still shined like pretty lights."

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Song:  Children at Play by Kevin Kern

Why it Matches With the Book:  I was listening to the CD "The Best of Kevin Kern" while reading this book for the first time.  This is a piano piece that really just makes me sad, speaks to my heart and gives me the nostalgic feelings of wanting to feel as free as a child.  I listened to this song over and over again especially reading the last few chapters, and I started crying, remembering how much Liesel has grown and how much she has changed throughout the book.  Not to mention Rudy as well, her best friend.  I'm sure this song will touch your heart and make you cry as it did to me.  

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Song:  Change Your Mind by Boyce Avenue

Why it Matches With the Book:  This is literally a summary (a word for word summary) of The Selection and how Maxon didn't give up trying to change America's mind.  He wanted her to give him a chance and see where things would go.  Maxon didn't want America to go just yet.

"Oh you've got me down on my knees.  Oh and in my mind I can see, how perfect everything could be.  But you won't give us a try.  If I could change your mind, how would you want me?"

The One by Kiera Cass

Song:  All About Us by He is We feat. Owl City

Why it Matches With the Book:  There's one scene in this book that made me think directly of this song and it literally just made my heart so much because of the love felt between the two characters and their realization that they truly love each other.  One of my favorite scenes of this book by far and one of my favorite songs for sure.  You can expect this song to be played sometime at my wedding (whenever I get married).

"Cause lovers dance when they're feeling in love, spotlight's shining, it's all about us.  And every heart in the room will melt.  This is a feeling I've never felt.  But, it's all about us."

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Song:  Company by Rickie Lee Jones

Why It Matches With the Book:  First of all, if you haven't read Allegiant yet, go ahead and skip this one.  This is for your own good.  Are you gone yet?  Okay.  So, typically I wouldn't pair a song like this with this book.  It's not even an action packed song.  It's actually a slower sadder song.  Right after I finished this book, it was 2 am, the day of the Allegiant Tour.  I couldn't fall asleep for 2 more hours cause I was crying & so I turned on my 8tracks radio and this song came on.  It reminded me too much of the book.  Especially the last 40 or so pages.  Well, here.

"I'll see you in another life now, baby.  I'll free you in my dreams.  But when I reach across the galaxy, I will miss your company."

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Song:  Turning Page by Sleeping At Last

Why It Matches With the Book:  The pace of the song and its words I feel take you to back to the series and how much all these characters have grown plus the extent of their love for each other.  It perfectly matches that essence and like Will's words, the lyrics are poetry.

"I've waited a hundred years.  I'd wait a million more for you.  Nothing prepared me for, what the privilege of being yours would do."

If I Stay series by Gayle Forman

Song:  Older by Birdy

Why It Matches With the Book:   Mixed with Gayle's writing, this song is absolutely perfect.  It reflects Mia and Adam's journey throughout the duology and their love for each other as well as the obstacles along the way.  Regardless of everything that has happened, and even while apart, they still love each other, but sometimes you can control what happens...it just does and there's nothing you can do but be strong.

"And I wish, that we were strangers, strange enough to go unnoticed from this crowd.  And I wish that we were closer, close enough for me to hold you when your lonely nights become too long to bear."

Let me know if you agree or disagree or just any thoughts you have!  I'd love to hear it.