Waiting on Wednesday [7] The Summer I Turned Pretty

The Book I can just not wait to get my hands on this week is...

The Summer I Turned Pretty

By: Jenny Han

Belly has spent her summers at the beach house with Conrad and Jeremiah, who had never noticed her noticing them. Every summer, Belly hoped it would be different. This time, it is. The summer that Belly turns pretty is the summer that changes everything- for better and for worse.

*LOOK AT THAT COVER!

How amazingly cute is that?! And it sounds just up my alley, I love books about love. :]

And I'm feeling like a nice Summer book. I need a good summer book just to make me smile.

Any Suggestions on other amazing summertime reads?

A Map of the Known World by: Lisa Ann Sandell

A Map of the Known World

by: Lisa Ann Sandell

From Amazon:
Cora Bradley dreams of escape. Ever since her reckless older brother, Nate, died in a car crash, Cora has felt suffocated by her small town and high school. She seeks solace in drawing beautiful maps, envisioning herself in exotic locales. When Cora begins to fall for Damian, the handsome, brooding boy who was in the car with Nate the night he died, she uncovers her brother's secret artistic life and realizes she had more in common with him than she ever imagined. With stunning lyricism, Sandell weaves a tale of one girl's journey through the redemptive powers of art, friendship, and love.
They say no land remains to be discovered, no continent is left unexplored. But the whole world is out there, waiting, just waiting for me. I want to do things-I want to walk the rain-soaked streets of London, and drink mint tea in Casablanca. I want to wander the wastelands of the Gobi desert and see a yak. I think my life's ambition is to see a yak. I want to bargain for trinkets in an Arab market in some distant, dusty land. There's so much. But, most of all, I want to do things that will mean something.

From Me:

Okay, So I read this book very fast - it took less then a day and I love it when that happens :]

Let me just say first that Lisa Ann Sandell is an AMAZING writer. Some of the words she used just flowed and it was beautiful and poetic just to read. I read Song of the Sparrow not too long ago and it was written beautifully as well, but it was written in free verse poetry which is part of the reason I adored it. I loved the idea of telling a story in that way and I was very pleasantly surprised to find that this book didn't lack that poetic feeling I savored from before.

The character of Cora in this book is a interesting one to me. She is dealing with this tragic thing, but it's almost as if there has been more then one death in her family. Her parents (particularky her dad) don't really pay attention to her anymore and there's a very heavy and dense feeling of grief throughout the book.

She gets her feelings out in a very unusual way though - atleast I thought so. I have never heard of someone drawing maps before...but I now want to go get my sketch pad and draw some up after reading this book.

I love the spin on art and I love the character of Damien, I always have had this dream guy in my head who is dark and brooding - but is just a passionate individual who delves in the arts. I love that main character and whenever I can read about one I freak out a little.

I enjoyed alot of the flashbacks which surprises me because normally I don't want to read flashbacks and rather wish to stay in the here and now, but I liked hearing about how Nate was before everything changed, and I think it was a necessary thing to know how he was with Cora before he became a "jerk".

All in all i really did enjoy this story and I want to get back to it soon. I enjoyed all of the characters and was easily able to relate to some of the things Cora experienced. My only wish is that there had been more interaction with Cora and Damien, just because I liked their conversations. :]

I give it a 9.

-Christina <3

Violet on the Runway by: Melissa Walker

Ahh so I did this last night, but my mom's internet Sucks and I got kicked off right as I tried to post it - which made me lose EVERYTHING! So, I must do it again...ahhh.

Violet on the Runway

by: Melissa Walker

A wallflower in the spotlight can do one of two things: wilt, or blossom...
Violet Greenfield's life changes forever when a lady in giant Chanel shades tells her she could be IT, the next Kate Moss-but taller, and without the PR problems. That's how Violet winds up with a business card in the front pocket of her jeans on her first day as a senior in high school. Angela Blythe from Tryst Models in New York City wants to put Violet on a plane and whisk her into the world of high-heeled boots and oversized sunglasses. Tall, skinny Violet, who's been P-L-A-I-N practically forever.
And guess what? She's going.

From Me:

Okay so reading this book, I didn't know what to expect. I don't read books about models - ever. I just don't do it my books are more like life, something I can normally relate to. So I usually steer clear of books like Gossip Girl and the Private series. Drama doesn't suit me, so I just don't don't get into it, but I am happy to say (as I've been saying alot recently) I was proved wrong.

This book was not at all what I expected. I expected a fairy tale like story about a Plain girl who suddenly got all she ever wanted, but I got nothing of the sort and got so much more.

This book went far deeper into the modeling life then I expected and I loved that aspect. It did not glamorize the "fabulous life" but rather ripped the rose colored glasses off and showed it's dirty laundry.

I love the characters in the book as well (particularly Roger as he reminds me of a friend of mine) and her crazy agent Angela as she was precisely what I expect from a person in that industry.

Alas though, I didn't approve of her boy choices, and think she could do so much better (*cough* Roger maybe? Am I on to something? lol) but that kind of thing I think comes with the territory. She gets thrown into the limelight so of course she gets "that guy" it's expected.

I loved the story, and can't wait to read the next two, I am really excited to know where exactly Violet is heading next :]

I give it a 9.

-Christina! :]

Waiting on Wednesday [6]

Okay so the book I can't wait for this week is...

The Secret Life of Prince Charming

by: Deb Caletti

Maybe it was wrong, or maybe impossible, but I wanted the truth to be one thing. One solid thing.
Quinn is surrounded by women who have had their hearts broken. Between her mother, her aunt, and her grandmother, Quinn hears nothing but cautionary tales. She tries to be an optimist–after all, she's the dependable one, the girl who never makes foolish choices. But when she is abruptly and unceremoniously dumped, Quinn starts to think maybe there are no good men after all.
It doesn't help that she's gingerly handling a renewed relationship with her formerly absent father. He's a little bit of a lot of things: charming, selfish, eccentric, lazy...but he's her dad, and Quinn's just happy to have him around again. Until she realizes how horribly he's treated the many women in his life, how he's stolen more than just their hearts. Determined to, for once, take action in her life, Quinn joins forces with the stepsister she's never met and the little sister she'll do anything to protect. Together, they set out to right her father's wrongs...and in doing so, begin to uncover what they're really looking for: the truth.
Once again, Deb Caletti has created a motley crew of lovably flawed characters who bond over the shared experiences of fear, love, pain, and joy–in other words, real life.

*I love Deb Caletti, particularly her book Wild Roses so I absolutely can't wait to read this newest one - as it seems just up my ally!

So. What are you guys looking forward too?

Taken by Storm By: Angela Morrison

Taken By Storm

by: Angela Morrison

Leesie Hunt has many rules: No kissing. No sex. No dating outside the Mormon faith.
When Michael Walden—a deep-sea diver who lost his parents in a violent hurricane—arrives in town, Leesie sees someone who needs her. They fall for one another, even though his dreams are tied to the depths of the ocean and hers to salvation above.
Will their intense chemistry be too strong to resist?
Leesie and Michael must make the hardest choice of their lives: whether to follow their beliefs or their hearts.
Readers will be swept away by this tale of forbidden romance told in online chats, Leesie’s chapbook poems, and Michael’s dive log. It’s as steamy as Twilight and just as clean.

From Me:

I don't know what to say about this book. Lets start with the things I LOVED. There were elements of this story that were completely original - like the story being told through Michael's Dive Log and Leesie's chap book. That was really entertaining to read, but the story is told throught two different persepectives - Michael's and Leesie's and I deffinately liked Michael's side of the story better.

Michael was messed up. No beating around the bush. He was in grief, and I understand that but I wanted to punch him sometimes...and then give him a hug. He was very confusing to me. He loved her, but then I feel as if his love was more superficial then hers. He didn't have respect for her beliefs and was constantly wishing she would...do things. He wants to show her his love for her - while she wants to know him, and get him to let her in his mind.

They are two completely different people, and I dont know if it was okay for them. I wont deny that I genuinely believed they loved eachother - but I didn't get it.

They are both very clear characters though. I completely feel as if I understand both of them. Michael for his grief, and Leesie for her hopes and aspirations.

I loved them together while I hated them apart. Michael made alot of mistakes - and I can't say I would have forgiven him for them. Even with his issues, I just think he almost set out to hurt her, which is not cool.

I wish the ending was more clear - or maybe I'm just not accepting of the outcome. Either way the ending was beautiful, and poetic...but not one I was expecting.

Overall I thought it was pretty okay. The emotions were clear, the characters felt real, and the writing was very good.

I give it a 8.0

-Christina :]

Going too Far by: Jennifer Echols

Going Too Far

by: Jennifer Echols

All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far...and almost doesn't make it back. John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won't soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won't be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge — and over....

From Me:

Okay. This book was amazing. Bottom line AMAZING!

I expected it to be good, but not to this degree. The story goes so much deeper then I ever thought it would. From the very first page I was hooked, and I couldn't stop reading.

Not one character in this book was un-important. Each one felt real, and each one reminded me of someone I knew and could relate to. Especially Meg and John. The relationship between these two felt unbelieveably real. I forgot they weren't real, I was so engrossed in their story and what would happen to them.

Their relationship evolved so naturally. It wasn't a sudden occurence which I hate, but rather seemed completely natural - and the ride to get there was one that was so entertaining. Both of their personalities meshed well.

Meg was so original - but then so not. The things she deals with and the way she deals with them kind of made me quirk my head a bit, but then I totally get it, and I understand why. She was such a complex character. Her depth kept building throughout the entire book, and John was no different.

John is without a doubt in my top 5 favorite Fictional boys (along with Rhett Butler, Mr. Darcy, and Edward Cullen guys) but then I dont like thinking of him as fictional - it breaks my heart a little. haha.

I give this book a 20. Yes a 20/10. How is that possible? It just is for a book that was this amazing.

There is nothing I wished was different. Not even in the slightest degree.

Review by Christina!

Find her Website here-

http://www.jennifer-echols.com/

Post Secret. On Monday.

I love Post Secret, and I used to do this on my Xanga, so I figured why not do it here as well? So this was, in my opinion the best Post Secret this week.

What was yours?

Now I think it would be the most amazing thing to find a pressed flower in a library book...now I want to go and search. :]