June Wrap Up & July TBR
June Wrap Up:
The first book that I have for you is Winter Town by Stephen Edmond. Now, I have a pretty awesome story behind this book. I went to Half-Price books to browse around and get some new books, and I just happened to come upon this book. It looked relatively small (250-300 pages, hardcover) and the synopsis looked pretty interesting. I was kind of in the mood for a stand alone book, because I had recently been reading lots of series' (Oh, don't worry. That won't stop) but it just looked really good and had a decent rating on Goodreads, so I though hey, why not? So I'm in the car, we're driving back to my house, and I open up the front cover and lo and behold: it was signed by the author!
Actually the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me. And it was only around six dollars! Anyway, let's get to the synopsis.
Every winter, smart, hardworking, Ivy League-bound Evan is reunited with his childhood best friend, Lucy, who moved away after her parent's divorce. But when Lucy comes back one year, she isn't the innocent, fun "Old Lucy" that Evan knows and loves. She's "New Lucy", chopped dyed black hair and a nose stud, and Evan is sure that she's gone insane. Evan is dead set on bringing "Old Lucy" back, even if Lucy gets mad at him for it.
I loved this book so much. It was beautifully told, and what I love about it is that Stephen Edmond doesn't just use words, he adds his own comic strips and drawings to help tell the story of Lucy and Evan. The plot was amazing, and I love that they are just two teenagers trying to find out who they want to be in this world. Five stars, I definitely would recommend this!
The next book (or series - kind of) I have is the Burn for Burn series by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian. I absolutely love Jenny Han's work (To All The Boys I've Loved Before has to be one of my all time favorite YA fiction books) Though I have never heard of Siobhan Vivian before reading this book, now I definitely want to check her out!
My experience with the book in five words and a comma: Boy, do I love revenge.
Jar Island is home to three girls: Mary, Kat, and Lillia (Mind you, those aren't the only three girls. That's just where they live. There are other people, I promise) Kat is tired to being relentlessly teased by her former best friend. Lillia is trying to look out for her little sister, but a boy might just mess that whole plan up. And Mary is being haunted by her past, and she wants the guy responsible to get what's coming to him. All three girls are very different, but that's what will bring them closer and help them get what they really want: revenge.
I'm a sucker for clichés, and this book is full of them. But it's also filled with some intense, dark stuff. It's a little more mature than some books, so definitely be sure you can handle it. It has a paranormal twist at the end, which will leave you thinking 'huh?' but that's for another book review. I give this series 4 stars. Please read it, it's really good!
The next book in the series is called Fire for Fire. It is a continuation of Burn for Burn, and I enjoyed it very much as well. I have not read the last book yet, which is called Ashes to Ashes. I read the synopsis on Goodreads and ZAYUMMMM, it's got some dark stuff in there. I cannot wait :)
The last book I have on my June Wrap-Up list is Torment by Lauren Kate. I did a book review about it and the series, so you can go check it out here.
Now for my July TBR! You guys have no idea how many books are on my all-time TBR list. Really. If I read one book per week (ha) for a year, I would still have to go overtime.
The first book on my TBR is The Loose Ends List Carrie Firestone. Before I get into the synopsis, can we just appreciate her last name? It so fantasy-esque! Anyway. The Loose Ends list is about a girl named Maddie O'Neill Levine who has a good life and is ready to spend the perfect pre-college summer with her best friends and her young, fun grandmother. Maddie's plans take a huge turn when her grandmother announces that she is terminally ill and is sending the family on a "death with dignity" cruise ship (I love her grandmother already) so that she can leave her life in her own unusual way. Soon, Maddie is stuck on a ship with her over-the-top family. As they travel, Maddie bonds with another passenger who is dealing with his own form of grief, and struggles to find the strength to say goodbye to her Gram in a whirlwind summer formed by love, loss, and the power of forgiveness.
I am so excited to read this book! I stumbled upon it by looking at another user on Goodreads who writes really good reviews, so thank you Emily for helping me find a book. Check her out here.
I've have heard that this book is really touching, and has some dark humor. I can't wait to read and will definitly do a review!
My next book is Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins. Guys, I've broken the rules. It's still June and I've already started!
Don't blame me! It came for me at the library, so naturally I had to start. Pretty good so far. It's a little bit fast paced, and there was one bit I was slightly confused by, but all in all, I like it. Mind you, I'm only about three chapters in.
The lives of sons and daughters of fallen angels literally depend on being bad influences. And sweet, innocent Anna Whitt is in for one heck of a ride. She knows of the pull of forces inside her, the inexplicable pull towards danger, but it isn't until she is sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe (his name is pronounced ky-den, if y'all were wondering) that she discovers her terrifying past. Born from a demon and an angel, Anna has a choice: halo or horns.
I was so excited to read this book, not only because it has a pretty dress on the cover, but because I was excited to get into another book about angels and demons, even though my first experience wasn't that great.
The next book I have is Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian. I'm not going to give a synopsis, because that would give away a lot, and I'm anti-spoilers.
And the last book I have for my July TBR is (drum roll, please)..................
The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith! I got this book because I completed my library's Summer Reading Club, and I got to choose a book, and that one seemed really interesting to me.
Somewhere in between the tenth and eleventh floor of a New York city apartment building, Lucy and Owen meet, due to a citywide blackout that rendered their elevator useless. After being rescued, they spend the night wandering the darkened streets of Manhattan (Which, might I add, is probably not a good idea - don't try that at home) But as soon as the power comes back on, reality kicks in. Lucy soon has to move to Edinburgh with her parents, and Owen moves out west with his father. Their relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch with letters, e-mails, and finally, a reunion.
I'm so excited! This sounds sort of cliché, which I am totally okay with. I also really want to read This Is What Happy Looks Like and The Statistical Possibility of Love At First Sight, which seems sort of similar to The Geography of You and Me, and really cliché (score!)
There you have it folks! My June Wrap Up and July TBR! I will leave the books mentioned after my sign off. Thanks for reading,
-Ari
Side note: Okay, so I was on Goodreads, searching the books, and I guess something wasn't working so something along these lines shows up: Sorry, something went wrong! In the meantime, go read a book!
Let's give Goodreads a round of applause!
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