Spoiler: Liv, Forever by Amy Talkington

So this book wasn’t at all what I expected. And I mean that in the best way possible. I love the idea that a boarding school has a secret society and that they’re pretty seriously evil. That just made me extremely happy. I loved the whole setting really. The way that the ghosts were at the places they had died made the book far more interesting because we got to see so much more of the campus. What kind of campus has a nature preserve by the way, oh yah, an AWESOME ONE!

♥Characters♥

♥Olivia: I think she’s a really sweet girl who has a very tough time in life. I was upset that we didn’t find out who her birth mother was. I definitely thought that that was the direction this book was gonna take. But instead she died. Which was just sad. But it was a pretty amazing story. The way that they solved the mystery. So great! I did like that everything she talked about included comparing it to a painting. I think we all have that one little thing that we compare our lives with. Whether it be movies, books or in this case painting.

♥Gabe: Love him simply because he’s an outcast. And he sees ghosts. That’s pretty cool. I do wonder what happened to his brother though.

♥Malcolm: He seems like a good guy and I thought that he was too nice. You know what I mean, like obviously he was the murderer. And then this awesome thing happened where he wasn’t. Although he was about to get inducted as the murder’s president which is pretty creepy in itself. I did like him closer to the end as he stood up to his father. I hope he moves on though. It’s great that he fell in love, but they were so young.

♥Kent: How did he even think that murdering is ok. Or that he shouldn’t tell anyone that it was going on over and over and over.  Madness! I don’t think he should have had to die, but still.

♥The Ghosts: They have different stories but all so similarly depressing. They were all innocent and had no reason to die.

Unfortunately I can’t include Memorable Moments for the simple reason that this book has not yet been released and I was reading the unedited version. But a huge thanks to www.goodreads.com for the give away!

Thanks for reading,
Love,

Sidny xoxo

Book Review: Family Storms by V.C Andrews

Title: Family Storms

Author: V.C Andrews

Series: Storms (Book #1)

Genre: Young Adult

Pages: 378

Year Published: 2011

Publisher: Pocket Star Books

First Line: “‘We gotta move,’ Mama said.”

“Living on the streets with her destitute mother, selling knickknacks and trinkets just to survive, Sasha Porter dreams of someday having a normal life, with a real house and family. But never dreamed a devastating tragedy would bring her those very things: on a stormy night by a rain spattered highway a speeding car veers out of control striking and killing her mother and badly injuring Sasha

In the hospital, Sasha is whisked off to a fancy private suit at the request of wealthy Mrs. Jordan March, a complete stranger who keeps watch by Sasha’s bedside and insists she come live at her family’s sprawling, luxurious mansion. Sasha soon learns Mrs. March never recovered from the loss of her daughter Alena, and with nowhere else to go, Sasha agrees to use Alena’s room, sleep in her bed, and wear her clothes. But someone will make sure that Sasha never takes Alena’s place: a jelous sister dead set on making Sasha’s life a living hell.”

My Rating: 4/5

I’ll mention first that this rating might not be what it once was as this is the second time I’ve read this book. Also V.C Andrews is one of my favourite authors so if you don’t enjoy her books normally, I doubt that this will be one that you like much either.

One great thing about a V.C Andrews book is that you can sit there after reading part of it and just simply wonder “Who thinks that way?” or “Who would make that the basis of book?” But you are never left without some kind of surprise while reading her books. Suspense and thrilling twists and turns are key. This book did not disappoint.

I would probably suggest this book for someone in there later teenage years so probably 16+ simply because of the content and how scarring it might be for younger people, but then again sometimes that depends on your maturity.

All in all this is a great book with a thrilling ending. Can’t wait to pick up Cloudburst and start reading it.

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Spoiler: Family Storms by VC Andrews

As mentioned above this is not the first time I’ve read this book and the main reason that I reread it is so that I can finally get to the second one. I have wanted to read it for a while but kept on forgetting what happened in the first book. So tadah! One down and one to go. As in most V.C Andrews book there is thrills and unexpected twists around every corner and this one didn’t disappoint.

The events in this book grab the readers attention and force us to listen to Sasha’s point of view. But I think the best way to talk about that is under this lovely characters tab.

♥Characters♥

♥Sasha: To be homeless so young is a scary thought, but it is a reality for many. I think that she has a tragic role in this book and I hope that the next book will give us some insight on her foster family. Because they seem kinda nutty. She seems like a good kid, who just really wants to fit and be normal and for such a long time she’s been anything but. She’s been a homeless little girl, following her crazed mother. When her mother ended up dead it was sad enough, but for the mother of the girl driving the car (Mrs. March) to then offer her a home is just beyond bizarre. In real life that’s not really even a passing thought. I hope that things turn out for the best for her and that she doesn’t end up pregnant, but God only knows.

♥Mrs. March: It’s really to bad that her youngest died so young, but to constantly dreg her up and ignore the daughter that you still have doesn’t seem to make sense to me. Jordan (Mrs. March) still has Kiera. She probably wouldn’t be so spoiled if she didn’t have to constantly fight for attention.

♥Kiera: She’s a spoiled kid, but more than that she is someone who just wants so attention and to be noticed for a change. First she was competing with her sister, then her dead sister and now a stranger off the street. That can’t be a confidence booster of any form. But to do what she did to Sasha? That’s evil and wrong on whole new levels that I can’t even imagine. She’s a scheming one. Have to see how her character unfolds in the next book.

♥Mr. March: He seems like a nice enough guy. Making a nice living for his family (nice being a huge understatement) but maybe after all that has happened with Kiera he’ll realize that she needs some help and more than that love from both her parents. Not just love but rules. That could be a good solution.

♥Ricky: I’m not sure if we’ll see more of him in the next book or if he’ll just fade into the background, but what he did wasn’t right. I understand peer pressure, but to rape someone? What the heck!?!

♥Moments to Remember♥

♥Pg. 199

“’Did you eat with chopsticks? I hate it. It takes too long to eat. My fingers are too fat and clumsy, anyways.’

 ‘We didn’t eat with chopsticks at home,’ I said. ‘But always in an Asian restaurant. You shouldn’t eat fast, anyway. It’s not good for you.

‘Oh, are you one of those health nuts?’

‘No,’ I said. ‘I’m just nuts.’”

♥Pg. 377

“’I’m not going to say I’m sorry, if that’s what you’re waiting to hear.’

‘That’s all right. I can wait. Someday you will.’

‘How did you get so arrogant?’

‘I had a good teacher,’ I said.”

♥Last Line: “And before I was finished, I was certain in my heart that wherever she was, she was smiling.”

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

No I haven't forgotten about you!

I know I haven't been working on this blog as much as I have in the past but I have some pretty important personal life changes going on at the moment. I'm still reading Family Storms by V.C Andrews and hope to have a review ready by next week sometime but I make no promises.
What are these life changes you ask?
Well number one I'm switching from having two part time jobs to having one full time job as of next Friday
And number two, I'm moving out of my parents house which involves a whole lot of packing. I never knew I had so much stuff.
Finally, getting college stuff ready for the fall. Yup I'm already planning that far ahead.
So let's make a deal fellow readers,
I won't forget about you,
if you don't forget about me :)

Thanks for reading,
Love,
Sidny xoxo 

Book Review: Run by Francine Pascal

Title: Run

Author: Francine Pascal

Series: Fearless (Book #3)

Genre: Young Adult

Pages: 205

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Year Published: 1999

First Line: “Do you know what hell is?”

“She's a black belt in karate. She's a precision marksman. She has the reflex speed of an Olympic athlete and can throw a 175 pound man over her head. Meet Gala Moore, not your typical high school senior -- she's Fearless. She's also the closest link to her father, a covert anti-terrorist agent who's hiding underground, so she's been forced to live with a family friend, George Nivens, in New York City Gala gets herself into dangerous situations, righting wrongs, avenging hurts and solving mysteries. Her world is about to change, however, exploding with terrorists, computer hackers, government spies and people bent on taking her apart…”

My Rating: 3.5/5

So let’s start this book review off with an announcement. This will be the last Fearless series book that I tackle, and this has little to do with the lower rating it’s received but rather to do with the fact that there are 36 novels not including specials. I’m afraid that I couldn’t find the next one and having to order them in one by one just isn’t going to work for me. Now on to the book itself.

This instalment in the series was important to the series, but I also feel like this part was written for TV more than for a book. Down to the soundtrack. It just didn’t work for me. I still that we have an awesome main character to read about but she isn’t grabbing my attention as much as she did in the first book and that makes it a difficult book to work your way through.

That being said not everything in Run was stuff I didn’t like. I liked that there was still humour used and we can see a “new” characters point of view a lot more.

THANK YOU FRANCINE PASCAL FOR A GIRL SUPERHERO FOR THE AGES!

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Spoiler: Run by Francine Pascal

I didn’t think that this was the best Fearless book that I’ve read. That’s my honest opinion. I’m not usually a negative person but I found this book hard to get through and more made for a screen than for a lazy day on the couch. I was disappointed with the way characters morfed, but I guess if we’re gonna talk about characters let’s organize it…

♥Characters♥

♥Gaia: I think that she’s changed quite a lot from the first book in this series. She has a really good friend (who is definitely hoping there was something more), a love interest and a real enemy. I like that she’s letting down her walls slowly, but I expected to hear more about what her father did to her. More than him just leaving her, because if that was it, mah. It was pretty anticlimactic.  I like Sam but I wish she would open her eyes to Ed though, just cause he’s in a wheel chair doesn’t make him any less of a guy. He’s obviously interested. The idea that she’s so casually accepting her uncle also teeves me off, but I’ll get to a bit more of that after…

♥Ed: If I were him I would just tell her that hey, I’m not just your friend here, I have feelings for you so stop friendzoning this! Although I’m sure the word friend-zone hasn’t been used yet. Hopefully something works out for him. I think that Heather and him might be a surprisingly good match.

♥Heather: She’s such a drama queen. Everything is constantly about keeping her popular. I don’t think she even loves Sam, I think she just likes the status that he gives her. And now that there’s been a sex tape let out I doubt she’ll have many friends left. But she deserves it from the way she treats her “friends”.

♥Sam: This guy is something else. I wonder if he’ll dump Heather after he thinks that she saved him? You’d think that after thinking about Gaia while dying you’d realize that maybe you should be with her and not the other one… but hey I’m not a guy.

♥Loki: A true superhero villain.

♥Moments to Remember♥

♥Pg. 20

“He smiled bitterly at the ridiculous image. Sir Edward of Useless Limbs, the knight in not-so-shining armour, rushing in to rescue the fair Gaia, Lady of Brutal Ass Kicking.”

♥Pg. 173

“Well, he could understand what his niece saw in the boy. He was certainly nice-looking. At least, he had been, before that unfortunate incident in which his face collided with that fist. Tsk, tsk.”

♥Final Line: “Today proved me very, very wrong.”

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Book Review: These Girls by Sarah Pekkanen

Title: These Girls

Author: Sarah Pekkanen

Genre: Chicklit

Pages: 322

Publisher: Washington Square Press

Year Published: 2012

First Line: “’Hold it!’ A voice commanded.”

“Cate, Renee, and Abby have come to New York for very different reasons, and in a bustling city of millions, they are linked together through circumstance and chance.

Cate has just been named the features editor of Gloss, a high-end lifestyle magazine. It’s a professional coup,. But her new job comes with more complications than Cate ever anticipated.

Her roommate Renee will do anything to nab the plum job of beauty editor at Gloss. But snide comments about Renee’s weight  send her into an emotional tailspin. Soon she is taking black market diet pills, despite the racing heartbeat and trembling hands that signal she’s heading for read danger.

Then there’s Abby, whom they take in as a third roommate. Once a joyful graduate student working as a nanny part time, she abruptly fled a seemingly happy life in D.C suburbs. No one knows what shattered Abby- or why she left everything she once loved behind.

Pekkanen’s most compellingly, true-to-life novel yet tells the story of three very different women as they navigate the complications of careers and love- and find the lifeline they need in each other.”

My Rating: 5/5

Hey there book reading people (poetry to your ears, I know), I come baring a wonderful novel about the adventure of three girls who find themselves and by doing so find each other. It was a heartfelt novel that left the reader satisfied. I loved that while all the characters were relatable they were all very different so you didn’t have to feel like you were left out of anything. I also feel that this chicklit has more suspense than others I’ve read, it’s not over the top drama just suspense. Honestly, I fell in love with the characters in this novel and Sarah Pekkanen couldn’t have done a better job of bringing the magazine world to our everyday world. Incredible.

THANK YOU SARAH PEKKANEN FOR SHOWING US THAT ITS FAR MORE IMPORTANT TO BE OURSELVES THAN ANYONE ELSE!

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Spoiler: These Girls by Sarah Pekkanen

Happy Wednesday blog readers. I’m hear to discuss a book with you and this book is one that will be staying on my bookshelf forever, simply because I have fallen in love with it. The characters and the vibe of this book was just an overall great read. Maybe that’s because I was able to pick it up at work on breaks exactly where I’d left off.  I also loved that the author dove right into important topic and wasn’t afraid to do it, there was no hopping around the subject, it was told as it is. Especially the weight loss story, that is one of the most important especially this time of year. Before I go overboard, let’s try and organize this by…..

♥CHARACTERS♥

♥Cate: I think Cate is a powerhouse character in this book. She cares about her job enough to stand her ground. Something that I definitely envy. I can’t imagine being so strong. I loved that she ate because while being healthy is important, sometimes we all need a little special treat now and again. I was shocked to find out about her and Timothy. Something about forbidden love just seems to do it for some girls. I say this because of the Trey incident afterwards at least the second one. I’m happy simply because it would be awkward while they were together but even more awkward if they broke up.  

♥Renee: Renee’s story is one of the most important in this story, I mean they’re all important but this one really hit home for me. Dieting is a huge issue in today’s society. People feel the need to look a certain way to conform with everyone else. My opinion of this is that really it’s sad. I wish we lived in a place where things like that didn’t matter. I think seeing the downfall from easy diet pills is an important thing. I love her!

♥Abby: She has obviously been through so much in her life. Her parents not seeming to love her  for no apparent reason. She was great with Annabelle, and I feel that she is a lot like me. I want to work with kids and she is an incredible character.  And then we find out why she is having panic attacks going to the car. I cried. Not because of the event but because of how she was treated because of it. She is still one of my favorites without a doubt. The only thing that got me was Bob.

♥Trey: He seems like he is a nice guy, and like him and Cate would work out but she made the right choice. I’m sure he will understand.

♥Annabelle: She is such a sweet little sweetheart and while she might not remember Abby later on, she helped form her.

♥Bob:  He was wrong to lead Abby on like that. He was married!            

♥Johanna: She wasn’t a very good mother. It’s not only providing that’s important. Love helps shape a child.

♥Moments to Remember♥

♥Pg. 73

“Renee turned off her phone and put it down on her desk.

 ‘That sounded awkward.’ Her friend David the photographer was leaning against her cubicle’s chest-high partition. ‘Were you fending off a stalker?’

 Renee rolled her eyes. ‘George Clooney again. He never takes a hint.’”

♥Pg. 172

“’It smells great in here,’ Trey said.

 ‘I told you I cook a mean takeout,’ Cate said. ‘You should see how fast I can dial.’

‘No apron?’ He grinned. ‘You’re amazing.’”

♥Final Line: “They needed to mark this beginning.”

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Book Review: Sam by Francine Pascal

Title: Sam

Author: Francine Pascal

Series: Fearless (Book #2)

Pages: 196

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Year Published: 1994

First Line: “It really wasn’t that far.”

“There’s somebody who wants me dead. And he’s probably going to succeed. Very soon. There is something I have to do before I go. And there’s only one person I want to do it with… Sam. No RULES. NO LIMITS. NO FEAR.”

My Rating:  4/5

This book is definitely was a step up from the first one. It included so many more ideas about the topic of being fearless and as well let the reader deeper into the main character’s mind. I loved that I was able to finally relate to the main character. I also loved how frequently Francine Pascal changed the point of view. It kept up suspense and easily let us know how all the characters were feeling, both about themselves and the other characters.

There was also more action is this book which was awesome!

The only thing I didn’t care for was the ending. It didn’t make me want to pick up the next book immediately.

THANK YOU FRANCINE PASCAL FOR READING A TEENAGE GIRL’S MIND!

Sorry this is so short guys but don’t have anything else to say about this one.

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Spoiler: Sam by Francine Pascal

I don’t have a whole lot to say about this book, other than it was a step up from the first book. I loved that we got to fish through all of the characters minds and that it contributed to the story so well. I was really interested in Gaia’s past and this book gave some answers as to why she is the way she is. I still have some obvious questions and I guess we’ll see what the next book says to them. As well seeing that in some ways she’s a normal teenager made me happy. And yes most of us do think about sex that much, it’s normal.

♥Characters♥

♥Gaia: I think that she’s grown up a lot from the last book and that she is starting to realize that what she does (her superhero act) has some bad repercussions at times. Not that she killed Marco, but it makes sense that she would be a suspect. I was scared for her, not only because she had a price on her head, but because she also was taking a huge leap in life by thinking so seriously about having sex. It’s a bigger deal than most think until poof it’s done. I’m happy that she didn’t end up doing it, but to have seen the boy she loves in the midst of it with someone else… ouch.

♥Sam: Ok, I still love him a bit. He should have broken up with Heather, because it’s obvious that the don’t feel much for each other. Hell, he was fantasizing about her before he had sex with Heather. I won’t lie, I don’t understand real men much better than fictional ones. I just hope he lives through book 3.

♥Heather: Ok she’s a grade A brat. And no that wasn’t my first word choice, but it was the most appropriate one. She belongs with Ed but she’s horribly shallow. And then to throw it at Gaia that Sam is hers. Wow.

♥CJ: Not the brightest of bulbs, but at least he’s out of the way.

♥Tom: Still not sure why he abandoned his daughter but I can see that his evil twin is out to get him (original I must say) and his daughter too. Hopefully he can find a way to protect them all. And who knows maybe he’ll reveal himself to Gaia. Wouldn’t that be marvellous.

♥Ella: Why can’t she just disappear already?

♥Moments to Remember♥

♥Pg. 294

“She was devouring a stack of books the way a starving person would devour a plate of food.”

♥Pg. 345

“Luck is powerful. Don’t mess with her. Accept her for what she is and make the best of it. I can’t stand that people are constantly blaming other people when bad stuff happens to them. Somebody trips on a sidewalk, and they sue some innocent bastard for millions of dollars. It’s not always somebody else’s fault. Sometimes it’s just luck. Bad luck.

Luck is unpredictable. She’s not you friend. She won’t stand by you.”

♥Final Line: “At the moment it felt to Gaia like a chance to be brave.”

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo