Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway

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Emmy’s best friend, Oliver, reappears after being kidnapped by his father ten years ago. Emmy hopes to pick up their relationship right where it left off. Are they destined to be together? Or has fate irreparably driven them apart?

Emmy just wants to be in charge of her own life.

She wants to stay out late, surf her favorite beach—go anywhere without her parents’ relentless worrying. But Emmy’s parents can’t seem to let her grow up—not since the day Oliver disappeared.

Oliver needs a moment to figure out his heart.

He’d thought, all these years, that his dad was the good guy. He never knew that it was his father who kidnapped him and kept him on the run. Discovering it, and finding himself returned to his old hometown, all at once, has his heart racing and his thoughts swirling.

Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. In Emmy’s soul, despite the space and time between them, their connection has never been severed. But is their story still written in the stars? Or are their hearts like the pieces of two different puzzles—impossible to fit together?

Book: Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway
Published: June 23rd, 2015
Pages: 352
Genres: Romance, YA, High School,
Format: Kindle
Date Read: March 25-May 31, 2016
Rating: 4 Potatoes 🥔🥔🥔🥔

Emmy and Oliver. Oliver and Emmy. I love their friendship and how it can withstand time and anything life throws at them.

I loved this little high school romance book; it was refreshing to read a book that, even though it had drama, wasn’t too heavy on the angst! It’s nice to read about a couple who are friends first and a couple second. That’s so rare to read about these days!

This book should be on everyone’s to be read pile. Go! Do it now! I promise you wont regret it and this book will leave you with a smile on your face when you finish it!

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

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Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Book: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (Goodreads)
Published: January 10th, 2012
Pages: 313
Genres: Romance, YA
Format: Hardcover
Date Read: March 8-10,2016
Rating: 4.5 Potatoes 🥔🥔🥔🥔

I truly enjoyed this book and, while it was very well written and a pleasure to read, I felt that it was overrated. Does it deserve the ratings it has? Yes. BUT there are so many other books with similar storylines that make you feel the same emotions.

I truly enjoyed reading about Hazel, Augustus and their budding relationship, I really did. However, I have read too many books that literally made my heart ache and cause me to bawl my eyes out. This book did not do that.

Like I said, this is a very good book and I enjoyed reading it but I have read many other books that I felt were far more deserving of 5 stars.

Everblue (Mer Tales #1) by Brenda Pandos

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Best friends share everything with each other. Or do they? Seventeen-year-old Ashlyn Frances Lanski is tired of her boring, single life. Spending time with her best friend Tatiana, dreaming about kissing Tatiana’s twin brother Fin, and swimming competitively are her only sanctuary. The girls plan to leave their drab lakeside town far behind for college. But when Tatchi fails to return home after a family emergency, and no one knows where the family has gone, Ash chooses to do something drastic to find them.

Ashlyn is about to discover what she’d thought to be true her whole life, wasn’t, and the truth, too fantastical to imagine. Secrets lurk beneath the deep blue waters of Lake Tahoe, secrets that will change Ashlyn’s life forever.

Book: Everblue (Mer Tales, #1) by Brenda Pandos (Goodreads)
Published: July 29th, 2011
Pages: 305
Genres: Romance, Paranormal, YA, Freebie On Amazon
Format: Kindle
Date Read: March 8, 2016
Rating: 4 Potatoes 🥔🥔🥔🥔

I literally read this book in one sitting. I just couldn’t put it down!

I love the friendship between Ash and Tatiana aka Tatchi, I would have loved to have seen more interaction between them and I’m sure we will in future books.

Fin, Fin, Fin. Let me count the ways how much I love Fin! I love his charm, how protective he is of his family and those he loves, the way he doesn’t give up and he keeps fighting. I just love him. I was pulling for him and Ash from the beginning and I love them together. Seriously.

Other than the King and the King’s family I can’t think of anything I didn’t like about this book. Well, my heart did break for poor Tatchi but hopefully she’ll get her happy ending later on in the series!! Overall, great book and I’m sure the rest of the serious is amazing as well. It was a nice, quick read!

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

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Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she’s beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

Book: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West (Goodreads)
Published: July 2nd, 2013
Pages: 320
Genres: Romance, High School, YA
Format: Kindle
Date Read: October 7-13, 2015
Rating: 4 Potatoes 🥔🥔🥔🥔

I tried so hard to like this book more than I did because of all of the wonderful reviews on Goodreads, really I did. The beginning started off slow for me and I nearly forced myself to continue reading the first 30% of the book. But, I soldiered on and I’m glad I did because it really is a good book!

I loved Xander, he was adorable! He definitely has book boyfriend potential! And I really did like Caymen’s sarcasm – I would reread this book just for that! But, I didn’t like her mom or the things she did. I understand her reasoning, in her mind anyway, for how she went about things but I don’t like her. Or the way she basically just left Caymen to run the store all the time. Not cool.

I really enjoyed this book but there’s something lacking in it that keeps me from giving it 5 stars… When I find out what it is i’ll have to let you all know. On the plus side, I will be giving Kasie West another chance with other books, she does weave a nice YA tale!

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

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New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don’t come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren’t always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard for her to forget that people weren’t always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It’s hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings…the only boy Ember has ever loved.

Book: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons
Published: January 31st 2012
Pages: 368
Genres: YA, Romance, Dystopia, sci-fi
Format: Kindle
Date Read: September 28-October 6, 2015
Rating: 3 Potatoes 🥔🥔🥔

I’m giving this book 3 stars because I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it either. To be honest, I’m not sure how I really feel about it. I loved the idea of it – the setting and the storyline – but I didn’t care for Ember’s character or half of the boneheaded things she did. Ember was very immature and didn’t act like someone who “always took care of her mother”. I know she always said she did but her actions were not that of one who does anything adult-like.
I really liked Chase but I felt like we didn’t get to know his character well enough – we knew why he did the things he did and that he really does care about Ember but we don’t know anything else. He’s very one-dimensional to me.
I can see why so many people love this book, it has a lot of potential, but it just didn’t do it for me.

The Book of Ivy (The Book of Ivy, #1) by Amy Engel

The Book of Ivy (The Book of Ivy, #1)After a brutal nuclear war, the United States was left decimated. A small group of survivors eventually banded together, but only after more conflict over which family would govern the new nation. The Westfalls lost. Fifty years later, peace and control are maintained by marrying the daughters of the losing side to the sons of the winning group in a yearly ritual.
This year, it is my turn.
My name is Ivy Westfall, and my mission is simple: to kill the president’s son—my soon-to-be husband—and restore the Westfall family to power.
But Bishop Lattimer is either a very skilled actor or he’s not the cruel, heartless boy my family warned me to expect. He might even be the one person in this world who truly understands me. But there is no escape from my fate. I am the only one who can restore the Westfall legacy.
Because Bishop must die. And I must be the one to kill him…

Book: The Book of Ivy (The Book of Ivy, #1) by Amy Engel (Goodreads)
Published: November 4th, 2014
Pages: 400
Genres: Dystopia, New Adult, Young Adult, Sci Fi, Romance

Format: Kindle

Date Read: September 21, 2015
Rating: Four Potatoes 🥔🥔🥔🥔
I loved this book, really I did, but I felt like there was something lacking in it; hence the four star review.

I loved the character of Bishop, he was my favorite person in the whole book. Here is a guy who truly is good! He’s not afraid to go against “government” to stand up for something that’s right – that’s more than I can say for most of the people in this book.

I did not like how the book ended at all. It definitely could have gone differently. Frankly, the ending threw me for a curve and I was left more confused than anything. I was a bit confused by the fact that Ivy left a note saying she was going to kill Bishop when she had planned on taking the poison herself. What is that about? I was so baffled.

Ivy’s family were inconsiderate jerks. They used her for their own gain and I really struggled with Ivy allowing them to walk all over her and still think they were doing her a favor. It was during these times I had to remind myself that Ivy is only 16…

I found myself liking Bishop’s dad by the end of the book, I don’t think he’s as evil as Ivy’s family led her to believe. Bishop’s mom, I don’t really care for and I don’t think I ever will. However, if I were in her position, I think I would act the same way.

I really do love the idea of this story, its very good. I just felt like it was lacking – there could have been a lot more character development all around and the end just made me so angry because I didn’t understand some parts of it. See my spoiler above for more info on that.

Long story short – great story but it could have been better. That being said, I will be reading the second book, which I’m told is better, so the story may be redeemed after all!