Book Review: How They Met, and Other Stories by David Levithan

My Rating: ★★★★☆

Genre: Young Adult Literature, Contemporary Literature, Short Stories

Plot: This book is composed of eighteen love stories. Not just romantic love, but all sorts of love. Each story is unique and brings a new string of emotions, and a crazy attachment to the characters in such a short number of pages.

Pros:

• Short stories mean more variety
• These were all so stinking cute/emotional
• I was hooked after the first story
• There are so many different kinds of love, and this book covered so many of them

Cons:

• I didn't want the stories to end!

Favorite Quotes: 

• “I think one of the highest compliments you can give a person is that when you are talking to him, you are not thinking about the fact that you are talking to him. That is, your thoughts and words all exist on a single, engaged level. You are being yourself because you aren't bothering to think about who you should be. It is like when you talk in a dream.” 
• “We always loved to say 'If I'd had a Monday-morning class, I never would have met you'. Or 'If you'd been reading something else, none of this would have happened'. We didn't believe in fate, but we believed in serendipity. We felt very lucky.” 
• “Must interests be interesting? That is, must they be interesting to someone other than yourself?” 
• “She wasn't pretty, but there were moments when I found her beautiful.”

My Thoughts: So, so, so cute. I love short stories, but I kept wanting these stories to keep going. After the first story, I turned the page expecting a new chapter, and actually said, "NO!" out loud in front of people at work. The different types and expressions of love made this book complete, and it made me happy, weepy, etc., just the way it was meant to. I haven't been able to get into any of Levithan's other books, but this one is so great.

Links:
Goodreads
Amazon
B&N
Book Depository
David Levithan

Book Review: Ask the Passengers by AS King

My Rating: ★★★☆☆

Genre: Young Adult Literature, Contemporary Literature

Plot: With no one else to turn to, Astrid Jones sends her secrets and her love to the passengers in airplanes she sees overhead. As her secret relationship progresses, secrets come out and rumors in her small town fly. All the while, Astrid continues to send her love, not realizing that her love is actually reaching the passengers and helping them in the best ways.

Pros:

• Switching between Astrid sending her love and the passenger who receives it is really cute
• Gay main characters.
• Takes place in a small town. Nae loves small towns.
• Frank.
• I like that she's super into philosophy.
• The bird houses with her dad is a really cute bonding thing.
• Dee calls her by her last name.

Cons:

• Astrid's sister is a twat.
• Basically everyone in Astrid's small town is a twat.
• The thing at the sorority party.

Favorite Quotes: 

•  “I am equal to a baby and to a hundred year old lady. I am equal to an airline pilot and a car mechanic. I am equal to you. You are equal to me. It's that universal. Except that it's not.” 
• “How can we say nobody's perfect if there is no perfect to compare to? Perfection implies that there really is a right and wrong way to be. And what type of perfection is the best type? Moral perfection? Aesthetic? Physiological? Mental?” 
• “I don’t have enough gross words in my gross vocabulary to describe how gross that gross thought is. Gross.” 
• “I’m not questioning my sexuality as much as I’m questioning the strict definitions and boxes of all sexualities and why we care so much about other people’s intimate business.” 

My Thoughts: It was good. I had so many people tell me this book would change my life, and it really didn't. But that doesn't mean it wasn't still a great book. I feel like every time I read a different YA book, there's something that sets it apart from the rest, and for this book it would be Astrid sending her love to the airplanes. I just really love that.

Links:
Goodreads
Amazon
B&N
Book Depository
AS King

Book Review: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz [SPOILERS AT THE END]

My Rating: ★★★★☆

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Literature

Plot: Aristotle, an angry teenage boy who's kind of an outcast, meets Dante, a smart boy who hates shoes and looks at the universe with different eyes. As the boys spend more and more time together of the summer and then suddenly spend time apart, Ari and Dante learn that their friendship is bigger than they had originally imagined, and that together, they can start to discover the secrets of the universe-- and themselves.

Pros:

• This book was adorable. Like seriously so many feels.
• It's kind of nice to read YA from a boy's point of view instead of a girl's.
• Ari and Dante were so different, and that's what made them such great friends.
• As time went on, their characters grew in such a great way.
• So many great quotes!

Cons:

• I wish that Ari and Dante could have had more contact when they were apart. But I get that.

Favorite Quotes: 

• “Words were different when they lived inside of you.” 
• “I bet you could sometimes find all the mysteries of the universe in someone's hand.” 
• “I had a rule that it was better to be bored by yourself than to be bored with someone else. I pretty much lived by that rule. Maybe that's why I didn't have any friends.” 
• “Words could be like food - they felt like something in your mouth. They tasted like something.” 

My Thoughts: [SPOILERS] So I already said that this book was adorable, but I'll say it again-- this book was adorable. I really loved Ari and Dante's characters, and the whole time [spoilers] I was rooting for them to get together, and I was so glad that it happened. I really like the cultural differences in the book, and the cute little quirks that each character had. Seriously, such a great book. If you haven't read it, READ IT NOW.

Links:
Goodreads
Amazon
B&N
Book Depository
Benjamin Alire Saenz

Book Review: The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle

My Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Genre: Young Adult

Plot: Wren has spent her entire life pleasing people. Her choices weren't her own, ever. Toward the end of high school, she realizes that it no longer makes her happy to please other people (her parents), and she decides to start making choices for herself, even though it's far out of her comfort zone. Charlie has always known what he wants, and he loved Wren as soon as he first laid eyes on her. They're two different kids from two very different pasts, but together, they make an amazing pair. What will the first summer out of high school bring for Wren and Charlie, and how will Wren handle finally being her own person?

Pros:

• This. Book. Is. Lovely! I picked it up because it's so pretty. Every time I've seen it on tumblr, I've thought, Wow, I need to read that book! Look at the cover! So when I saw it on the shelf at the library, I had to get it. Yes I judge books by their covers. Then on the inside, there was a beautiful black page (black pages in books are so pretty), and each chapter started with a really pretty swirly design. It was just so aesthetically pleasing!
• It gave me a lot of feels. Wren and Charlie are a great couple,
• Charlie is sensitive. Normally in books, guys with troubled pasts like his are douchecanoes, but Charlie was sweet.
• Tessa is such a great best friend!
• The ending made me really happy!
• I read it in like 10 hours so that's cool.
• The first quote I list below. It's so great.

Cons: 

• The dialog in the first half was awful. I "stopped" reading this book like four times because I just couldn't do it. I think maybe it's because it's a different dialect of English? I'm not sure but it really made me cringe. Like who says "Wassup" and "hells yeah"? No one, that's who. At least not unironically. 
• Starrla or whatever her name was (I don't have the book so I can't check). She was a twat.
• Wren's drunk texts were weird.
• It was really hard to read at first.

Favorite Quotes:

• “It's what you feel, and guess what? Feelings are like three-year-olds. They're not rational. They're just there.” 
• “You're saying the mysteries are worth examining, even if they're too big to be understood. That maybe they're bound to be too big to understand, but that doesn't take anything away from them, and in fact just adds to their beauty.” 

My Thoughts: This book was just ok. I totally wasn't expecting the sexy stuff to happen so explicitly (totally not a spoiler because it says "steamy" in the cover description, which I didn't read), and that's not really my thing, but it worked for the book. I had a really, really hard time reading the first half of this book. The dialog, the flow, it was all just weird and I didn't like it. But the second half was really good. If sexy, steamy YA fluff is your thing, give it a try.

Links:
Goodreads
Amazon
B&N
Book Depository
Lauren Myracle

Book Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

My Rating: ★★★★☆

Genre: Young adult; Dystopian

Plot: Growing up in a world where love is a curable disease, Lena has only known that 1) she never wants to get the disease and 2) the disease kills people. She will be safe as soon as she is old enough and has the procedure that will alter her way of thinking, and prevent her from catching this deadly sickness. However, she soon learns that the things she's been raised to believe aren't quite what they seem, and that she can't entirely trust those around her-- those who have kept her "safe" for her entire life.

Pros: 

• The way love was described as a disease was well thought-out and actually made it sound like a real sickness that should be prevented; gives a whole new meaning to the term "lovesick"
• Lena's a runner; I don't know why (because I'm not a runner myself), but I like characters who run
• It focused on an issue that could have a huge impact on the world that isn't war/hunger/AIDs; it was nice to have a different perspective
• Lena's family; I love families
• Teenage rebellion was totally believable in this book and that's nice because it's normally so overdone
• Little bits and pieces of actual history were used to write their laws and guidelines and that huge because our history is what makes and shapes us
• It was interesting. Like the plot, the concept, and the characters all held my attention.

Cons:

• On page 171 in the hardcover version of the book, it says something like "I was more then a decade away" instead of "more than" and it was seriously like a brick wall was built and I couldn't turn the page for like a half hour and I'm not even joking
• It sort of dragged in the beginning
• The ending hurt me [no spoilers here]
• It freaks me out to think that towns and districts could someday become quarantined like that

Favorite Quotes:

• “I’ve always hated being looked at.” 
• "The one good thing about being kind of shy is that nobody bugs you when you want to be left alone."
• “It’s so strange how life works: You want something and you wait and wait and feel like it’s taking forever to come. Then it happens and it’s over and all you want to do is curl back up in that moment before things changed.” 
• “Pretend to be calm and happy when really I’m freaking out. It’s one of the skills you perfect as you get older.” 

My Thoughts: This was a good book. The beginning kind of dragged, just barely, but enough for me to second-guess my decision to read it. The ending was a little bit shocking, but it is what it is. I'm interested to see where the next book takes Lena, and I hope that she finds the answers to the questions she has: both new and lingering.Overall, it was pretty good.

Links:
Goodreads
Amazon
B&N
Book Depository
Lauren Oliver

Book Review: The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

My Rating: ★★★★

Plot: Lennie is used to hanging back and watching the show that is life, with her sister Bailey by her side for every moment. When Bailey dies, Lennie no longer has her other half around to help her see things straight in life. Suddenly, she finds herself very interested in boys-- two boys in particular: Toby, who was her sister's boyfriend; and Joe, the new kid in school who is also a musical prodigy who grew up in France. Lennie discovers that it's hard to balance her feelings for the two of them-- Toby is probably the only person who understands her grief, while Joe has only known her without her sister and accepts her just the way she is. Lennie must sort out her feelings and come to terms with her grief, and her newfound singularity, if she is to keep all hearts intact.

Pros:

• It takes place in "nothern Northern California" (she actually says that), and I'm from Siskiyou County (basically as far north in California as you can get; people forget about us). I'm not sure where exactly this book takes place, if anywhere in particular (the town the book takes place in is fictional), but the eccentric people and the forest-y feel to the story made me really happy. I actually wrote Jandy Nelson to ask if she had any particular place in mind, but I'm not sure if I'll get an answer any time soon, with her new book coming out in two weeks and whatnot. Ok I'm rambling.
• Grief happens. And it's confusing. Everyone grieves in their own way. And that was very real in this book.
• Her stoner uncle, Big, was hilarious. 
• She's a band geek and a bookworm. Her favorite book is Wuthering Heights and she actually uses that as a foundation of her romantic knowledge and that's adorable. I love it.
• The notes at the beginnings and ends of chapters.
• I think I got butterflies when I was reading about her kisses with Joe? It was just too cute. 
• This book made me really, really happy. Even with the underlying sadness in the plot, it made me so happy.
• The hotel room in the middle of the forest. I want to go there. I wonder if that's a real thing? I hope it is. If I ever get a reply from the author, I'm asking her.

Cons:

• I wish there had been more about Big. 
• Lennie's friend was kind of a twat.
• What is walk-reading? Or read-walking? 
• It gave me feels. Feels are gross.

Favorite Quote(s):

• "You can tell your story any way you damn well please. It's your solo."
• “The sky is everywhere, it begins at your feet.”
• “I wish my shadow would get up and walk beside me.” 
• “Each time someone dies, a library burns.” 
• “The.
  World.
  Is.
  Not.
  A.
  Safe.
  Place.” 
• “The Color Of Extraordinary.” 
• “Let me just unsubscribe to my own mind already, because I don't get any of it.” 

My Thoughts: As I inch my way into the world of YA lit (I was strictly adult fiction until just recently, unless I read enough 5-star reviews to convince me otherwise), I'm trying to find out which books work for me, and which ones don't. If I only ever read YA books that made me feel like this book made me feel, I think I wouldn't stop reading YA. This book was adorable. It was sad, it was funny, it was so amazingly raw and heartfelt. And it was real. The characters were so real. They could have been me or my sisters or my friends or anyone. And I love that. I think I recently said that about another book, but really, relatable characters just make me so... satisfied? I don't know. Anyway. This book was really great, and I'm thrilled that she's releasing another book this month. I might even pre-order it because I'm so excited about it. If you haven't read this book yet and you're into YA, read it. Seriously, you won't regret it.

Links

Goodreads

Amazon
B&N
Book Depository
Jandy Nelson

Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

My Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Plot: Two misfits. One extraordinary love. Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor. Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park. Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

My Thoughts: This book was great, but then all of a sudden it wasn't. I really, really enjoyed the story. It was drawn out enough that I got to know the characters well, but not so much that I felt like it was dragging. Eleanor and Park had an adorable relationship. However, I feel like it just ended so abruptly. Which I guess was maybe her point, but I don't understand why it had to happen. And why Eleanor just ignored Park like that after the way she felt about him. That aside, it was a great book. Richie scared the junk out of me, and I really felt for Eleanor and her family. I hope this book becomes a movie, because it was really a lot of fun to read overall. 

Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

My Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Plot: Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list. Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

My Thoughts: This. Book. This fricking book. I had to take a few days to recover after I read this book. It's really an amazing read. It touches on the important things like bullying, rumors, suicide, and mental illness. The characters were very real, the prose was interesting, and I hung on to every one of Hannah's words in much the same way that Clay did. If you haven't read this book, seriously pick it up and read it. It does have some triggering themes, obviously, but it really is a fantastic read and I'm so glad that I read it. I'm so bad at actually saying how I feel about books but seriously this book was INCREDIBLE. Read it!

Review: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

My Rating: ★★★½

Goodreads Plot: Where there's a will, there's a way—and Sam Westing has left quite a will!

One fateful day, sixteen people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will. To their surprise, the will turns out to be a contest, challenging the heirs to find out who among them is Westing's murderer. Forging ahead, through blizzards, burglaries, and bombings, the game is on. Only two people hold all the clues. One of them is the Westing heir. The other is you!

My Thoughts: (I rated this book 4 on Goodreads because they don't have half-stars and I didn't want to under-rate it) It took me a while to get into this book. The format was weird, and I was in sort of a funk when I started it. But I'm so glad that I finished it, because the twist at the end made it totally worth it. There were a lot of characters in this book, so it was hard to keep track at first, and I found myself getting confused a lot with who was who. It wasn't a great book, but it wasn't horrible either.

Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Plot: Seventeen-year-old Mia's life is changes in an instant when she and her family are in a car accident, and she must make a very important choice-- the most important choice she will ever have to make.

My Thoughts: This book was pretty good. I went into it knowing absolutely nothing about it, so I was a bit shocked by the beginning. This tale of young love and tough choices and relate-able, and the struggle Mia goes through is unforgettable. I read this book in a few hours, and I'm pretty pleased with how it ended. I kept posting "all the feels" because this book has a lot of emotion, but it definitely doesn't overdo it.

Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars (on goodreads I rated it a 4, because I can't choose 3.5 but 3 seems too low)

Plot: Charlie writes a series of letters throughout the course of his freshman year of high school, where he explores himself, friendships, relationships, and the strength of his family. This book touches on many issues that teenagers face, some of which get ignored or hushed up because they're controversial.

My Thoughts: I liked it. Then I hated it. Then I decided, "You know what? I'm not going to read this. Why should I read a book I don't like? Just because it's popular doesn't mean I have to like or read it." Then I went to work and opened my Kindle up to this book and decided to give it another go and finished it within a couple of hours. It was a good book, but it wasn't particularly great like I was expecting (thanks, Tumblr). I feel like I can relate to Charlie on so many levels, but at the same time, I don't understand how or why he works the way he does. I think that's kind of the point though. I wish I'd known about this book when I was younger. I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more.

Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

Plot: Dobby tells Harry not to go to Hogwarts. Harry and Ron steal a flying car. They get in trouble. The Chamber of Secrets is opened. Things happen.

My Thoughts: First, I feel very silly writing out the plot of the Harry Potter books because everyone knows what happens. So hopefully ^ that will suffice. Second, and I mean this with as much respect to JKR as she deserves, but I've always kind of thought that The Chamber of Secrets was a filler book. It wasn't bad, but it definitely was not my favorite in the series. It obviously sets up a lot as far as Horcruxes go, and as far as book Ginny + Harry is concerned, but it's always just sort of been the one I skip through whenever I do a reread because I'm not that interested. 

Review: In the After by Demitria Lunetta

My Rating: 5 out of 5

Plot: Amy is home alone when They come. It's clear from the beginning that her parents are dead. Surviving only because of her mom's paranoid precautions, Amy adapts to life in the After-- lonely, and absolutely silent, because They have supersonic hearing, and if They hear her, she will die. One day, Amy stumbles across a toddler in the produce aisle of a supermarket while she's scavenging for food. After taking the little girl (who Amy calls "Baby") under her wing, the girls keep each other alive, and look out for one another. It was lonely, but they lived for each other. When Amy and Baby discover a small town of survivors, Amy realizes that there are downfalls to finding civilization, and that not everything in the After is as it seems.

My Thoughts: I won this book in a giveaway from Class of 2k14, and it sat on my shelf for a few weeks before I started to read it. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I wanted to know why it was happening. I was intrigued by the story, and very pleased with the ending. This book is fantastic. It's kind of an easy read, but that makes flying through the pages that much better. The sequel to this book is set to release in June, and I am so excited to see how Amy and Baby's story ends! If you can, pick up this book as soon as possible. You won't regret it.

Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1) by JK Rowling

My Rating: 5 out of 5

Plot: Harry, who has grown  up with his horrible relatives, finds out he is a wizard. But he's not just any wizard-- he is the boy who somehow stopped the darkest wizard of all time when he was just a baby. Harry goes to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he gets more than he bargained for as far as hands-on education is concerned. With his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger by his side, makes it through challenges to once again confront Lord Voldemort, and also he makes it through his final exams.

My Thoughts: It had been a while since I read this book. A good three years at least. But it was the book that started it all. It's an amazing beginning to a magical series, and it's pretty much flawless.

Review: The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry

My Rating: The Giver-- 5 out of 5 stars; Gathering Blue-- 4 out of 5 stars; Messenger-- 4 out of 5 stars; Son-- 4.75 out of 5 stars; Overall-- 4.5 out of 5 stars

Plot: The series begins in Jonas' community-- a utopia of sorts in a dystopian world. Jonas learns that the world is not as small and perfect as his community, and the truth of this new world needs to be told. The following three books follow different characters (with appearances of previous characters in each book), and shows how each community is different, and the scary traditional ways that they are all the same. Son wraps the quartet up nicely, bringing much of the plot full circle and ending on a happy not.

My Thoughts: These are not happy books. They're emotionally straining, especially for books that you're required to read in middle school. They hurt. You get attached, and you feel everything. Reading the second book, I had a feeling that it had something to do with The Giver, I just wasn't sure. Then I stumbled upon Messenger and Son, and I knew I had to read them all. Gathering Blue was kind of frustrating, because I just wanted answers. But Messenger and Son wrap it up nicely. However, I do have a lot of unanswered questions, so I can't completely give it 5 stars, even though the series is really, really great. If you haven't read these books, you really should. Especially since The Giver is coming out as a movie in August (lord, help us).