Monday, September 29, 2014

Mini Review Monday[22] Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Posted by HelloJennyReviews at 11:00 AM 0 comments










Another great book written by the wonderful author Laurie Halse Anderson. 

Where to start. She wrote the character, Lia very believably. We got to see what someone battling anorexia goes through and how they think. How they are counting calories and how they are going to lose them. 

Not only do we get the side of someone battling anorexia, but we also see how mental illness can affect someone. How family can make someone feel. Lia's family made her feel ignored and not a person and we got to see what that can do to a person. It's different for everyone. But it does mess up a person, whether it affects them with anorexia or depression or some other mental illness, but it does affect them. Seeing Lia struggle the way she does with her family and how it has affected her makes me want to be in my career that much more so I can help all who are suffering and get them to get better. 

That's another thing that popped up. You can't force treatment or force someone to get better. They have to have to want to get better or nothing will work we saw that through Lia. She got to the point of dying until she realized she doesn't want to die that she wants to be alive and that's that made her finally start to get better. 

Everything gets worse before things better. You are the only person who can make a change for yourself not anyone else. It will still be a struggle for Lia to get better, but with her wanting to get better she will be working hard to do so. 

I really liked the character Elijah. He wasn't in the story much, but I did like when he was in it. I was really hoping that Lia and Elijah would get together and he would be there to support her, but I'm glad he did what he did because I think he did help in a way for doing so. 

I'm glad I finally got around to reading this one. I really enjoyed it. 

One quote I loved was: "There is no magic cure, no making it all go away forever. There are only small steps upward; an easier day, an unexpected laugh, a mirror that doesn't matter anymore. I am thawing." This quote really touched me with what I have been going through. I can't want to read more by her.

Overall, I gave the book 5/5 stars.


Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Word of the Week Wednesday[13]

Posted by HelloJennyReviews at 8:00 AM 0 comments


Word of the Week - Insouciance - Nantucket Red - Page 228
Meaning - Casual lack of concern; indifference.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Stacking the Shelves[24]

Posted by HelloJennyReviews at 8:00 AM 0 comments

These are basically all of the books I have gotten from Thriftbooks with my giftcard. I was VERY unhappy with how all of the book showed up. If you want explantions then please watch the videos. They have the same books but there is more detail in the videos.


These first 4 pictures are all from Thriftbooks.com. A LOT OF ARC's. I paid $10 for one of the ARC's that was supposed to be a hardback. I did get my money back but I am very sad about not having the book in hardback now.





These next books are from a library sale.



Next are books from a thrift store.


Any then FINALLY. The gorgeous books from Amy Christine Parker for the Author Spotlight!


What books did you get this week? Leave me a link in the comment below if you want to share your post with me!








Friday, September 19, 2014

Double Vision Review[1] - Sanctum by Madeleine Roux

Posted by HelloJennyReviews at 1:00 PM 0 comments
I am starting something new on my blog! It is called Double Vision Review. Basically, if Dani and myself have a review for the same book I will post both reviews so people can see what we both liked and disliked. So you get two reviews to help you decide if the book is worth your time.







When I read Asylum I remember not liking it very much. I don't know exactly what I didn't like but I know it had something to do with having so many unanswered questions. A friend told me to give Sanctum a chance and I do not regret it.

This book was FREAKY. Much more freaky than Asylum.

Dan, Jordan and Abby are having after effects of their summer at Brookline. They can't sleep. They are seeing and hearing things. They are pretty much losing their minds. HAHA.

Dan returned to his "normal" life after Asylum. He went back to school and took up company with his old friends. Only they weren't enough. Nothing could live up to Abby and Jordan. Dan was borderline obsessed with his new friends and I wonder if that was because of The Warden side effect or because he had never really had any GOOD friends before.

Felix's mother is what starts this crazy adventure. She asks Dan to go see Felix in the mental hospital because Felix is asking only for Dan. Dan agree's but all hell breaks lose afterwards.

Dan convinces Abby and Jordan to go back to NHC to try and track down answers that haven't been answered. I love how Abby and Jordan are extremely loyal and reliable. If I was them I would have told Dan to shove it and go by himself.

We are introduced to some college kids that are supposed to be their chaperons for the weekend. I could feel that there was something wrong with Cal. Something just felt off. And I was right. But I didn't think anything was wrong with Micah and Lara. Micah did seem overly friendly. Lara was a snotty bitch, honestly.

We are also thrown into a carnival atmosphere with a lot of creepy twists and turns.

The book went in an entirely different direction than the first book. There is hypnosis, human testing for chemical warfare and worst of all, the Scarlets.

I loved the pictures and all of the history in the book. I really enjoyed all the clues they found along the way. It was really cool to read the clue with them and try to figure everything out. The book really does a lot to try and keep the read included in everything.

Some background on Daniel Crawford is also introduced. We learn that he had another brother and that brother is the ghost that helped Dan throughout the book. We also learn that he was in a secret CIA government program trying to create chemical warfare to control enemies I believe.

Dan's "flashbacks" and dreams as The Warden are creepy. We learn about The Warden's past and we get to walk in his shoes.

Did I mention murder? Yeah, murder happens. I know there was murder in the first book but the deaths in Sanctum just feel a lot more personal.

Finding out about Professor Reyes was sort of a shock but after a while I was kind of heading in that direction. I didn't expect the Caroline thing though. I didn't know professor Reyes was that old. She seemed to be portrayed as a younger woman. Not someone in her sixties.

The only thing that really bothers me about this book is the way it ends. It just ends. That's it. We don't find out if Dan's parents believe he was really with Jordan. We don't find out if Abby goes home. We also don't find out why Dan has The Wardens Memories or how they are related and such.

Sanctum answered a lot of things that were left over from Asylum but it also left a lot of its own unanswered questions. I would have loved to know if someone "undid" the rest of the Scarlets. I also want to know if Dan went back to visit Felix so he could tell him about "sanctum".

Overall, I gave the book 4/5 kitties.






Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. With me a lot of the time I find that sequels aren't as good as the first books in a series, but that is not the case with this one. It's just as great if not just a little bit better in my opinion. 

Let's see, where to begin. The creepy factor was there, much more than the first one and I loved it just the same. 

I enjoyed the characters especially Jordan. He's so smart and so funny. He was always making me laugh even at the creepiest of times.

 Abby reminded me of me to a point, so I was able to connect to her a bit. 

Events start to happen right in the beginning, which made this much more enjoyable to continue to read. I think the carnival was a nice touch to the story. It added to the creepiness of the story and I really enjoyed that. I can't help but read or watch anything that deals with a carnival that has a creepy aspect to it. It fascinates me. 

The mystery continues with Dan and his family member Daniel Crawford aka The Warden of Brookline. Dan still sees Daniel's memories, but now he sees more then that. New characters appear to only Dan. His friends can't see them, but he has such great friends that they believe that he is seeing them. A little boy helps him along the way with this big mystery that he and his friends are trying to solve since they are all wrapped up in it and all have nightmares from the summer that they shared together. There are many twists and moments where you yell at the characters or the situation. 

The story keeps you on the edge of your seat and makes you keep reading to find out what will happen next and before you know it you have reached the end. I found the ending to be great. It ended beautifully. There wasn't exactly a cliffhanger, but you still want more because there are still many questions that need to be answered. Such as more about Dan's family history. 

I so hope there will be another book to this series. I want more badly. Both of these books have been written so beautifully and you can't help but get lost in them. I want the story to continue and can't wait to see how it all comes to a close so I hope there will be a third. This series has become one of my all time favorites.

Overall, I gave the book 5/5 Stars.




Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Word of the Week Wednesday[12]

Posted by HelloJennyReviews at 10:00 AM 0 comments



Word of the Week - Perspicacious - Nantucket Red - Page 275
Meaning - Having a ready insight into and understanding of things.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Mini Review Monday[21] Rain by Amanda Sun

Posted by HelloJennyReviews at 12:00 PM 0 comments









I loved Ink from the very beginning and Rain was no different. It felt so good to be transported back into this wonderful world. 

From the very beginning you have action. The story is fast paced and keeps you wanting more. 

Katie was a strong character in Ink and she developed even more in Rain. She fought for what she wanted and didn't back down. I admire that. 

Tomohiro is such a great guy character and you can't help but love him. 

While you are reading you feel like you are actually in Japan with the characters. The description makes you feel like you are seeing everything the characters are. It is very fascinating in learning Japan's culture. You get to see the cultural differences between America and Japan. Between how you say someones name and the kind of shoes you wear in different places. You not only get to see the cultural differences, but you also get to hear some of Japan's legends or stories that have been passed down. I find it very interesting and fascinating to learn about some other country's legends. 

I also like Katie's friends Yuki and Tanaka. It shows you that you come across those kinds of friends who will do anything for you as you will do for them and I really connected to that. I did not like Tomohiro's dad and how he treats his son. It made me so sad. 

An added bonus were the illustrations throughout the book. I loved seeing them. I think they are so pretty and they added to the story since it revolves around ink and drawing. 

I can't wait for the conclusion to his series and yet I don't want it to come because I don't want the story to end.

Overall, I gave the book 5/5 stars.




Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Word of the Week Wednesday[11]

Posted by HelloJennyReviews at 6:38 AM 0 comments




 Word of the Week - Penitent - Struck - pg 210
Meaning - Feeling or showing sorrow and regret because you have done something wrong.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Mini Review Monday[20] Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Posted by HelloJennyReviews at 12:00 PM 0 comments










I really enjoyed reading this in Adam's point of view. I liked being able to see what happened to him after Mia's accident. 

I didn't enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed If I Stay, but I still enjoyed it very much. The only thing that really bothered me was I wish it was in duel points of view. I would have really liked to have read how Mia was healing, processing and just going about life after she woke up from her coma due to her accident. We got some when she talked to Adam, but I wanted more.

 I am really into music. It is one of the few things I can't live without. I love that both of these books have music as one of the main topics. I love that at the beginning of some of the chapters there were song lyrics of some of the tracks from Shooting Stars album Collateral Damage. I haven't read a book before that has done that and I enjoyed it very much. I like that Gayle Forman added the lyrics to some of the songs in the back of the book. 

Another thing that I did really like were the flashbacks. We got to see what Adam went through as Mia was healing, how he was once she left for Julliard and how he got back into playing music. We also got to see other flashbacks from a time before the accident while her family was still alive. Through Adam's point of view we got to see how your partner's loss can effect you just as much. Adam really bonded with Mia's parents and brother. With having lost them like Mia did it really affected him. We were able to see that even though someone leaves the physical world they are still always with you in your heart and in your memories so they are never truly gone. As Mia has taught us. 

We also got to see how when there is something tragic that happens like it did with Mia that everyone just coddles you. I was really able to connect with how a great loss can really affect you and how it can affect you in different ways. I can't wait to read more from Gayle Forman.

Overall, I gave the book 4.5/5 stars.




Saturday, September 6, 2014

Stacking The Shelves[23]

Posted by HelloJennyReviews at 8:00 AM 0 comments
Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.


These are the books I've gotten from trades and from BookOutlet.



These are the books I got through trades on Instagram.




These are the books I got from BookOutlet.


And this is my pre-order from Barnes & Noble.



Please feel free to leave a link to your STS or other haul in the comment section! Thank you for stopping by =)

Friday, September 5, 2014

REVIEW: Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

Posted by HelloJennyReviews at 12:00 PM 0 comments












Oh Holder, Holder, wherefore art thou, Holder? Yes, I think he would make Juliet swoon. 

Sky's story is excruciating. No child should have to ever go through what she did. But the sad reality of this books is that this DOES happen. But not many kids are as lucky as Sky was. She has Karen, Holder, Brecken and Six. Instead of living a life of pain and suffering she was blessed with a life of love and happiness. Yet somehow it takes her almost the entire book to come to this conclusion.

Sky is a good girl to an extent. She sneaks chocolate and non-vegan food, she has boys come in her window and she even lies occasionally. But she never lets those boys get past second base. We know from the very beginning that something has happened in her past and we also get hints throughout the book. I knew from probably page five that she had some sort of daddy or mommy issue. 

The fact that Sky is going to her first year of public school makes for a good addition to the plot line. It also poses the question further on, WHY was she home-schooled all those years? Which is MORE than answered by the end of the book.

Her first week at school is hell. She is labeled a slut, whore, etc, because of Six's reputation and the fact that Sky is her best friend. But she meets Brecken "The Mormon" and life starts looking up. But then she meets Holder and everything spirals out of control. 

Holder is crazy. He is intense and never does anything half-assed. He is perfect for Sky. The fact that hes been looking for her for 13 years is kind of hard to believe. It's also hard to believe that he found her. I can honestly say that I don't remember ANYTHING from when I was four, five, or six. But Holder remembers everything. Some parts of the book are definitely unbelievable but it's a work of fiction so that is to be expected on some level.

Sky's real father was terrible. He tried to play the victim and then he took the cowards way out. How pathetic is that? I had no remorse whatsoever for what happened to him. He caused the pain and suffering of not only Sky but Karen and Lesslie as well. 

I am glad that Sky came to realize what Karen has done for her. She could have called the cops or made the entire thing a hell of a lot worse. But she didn't. And I think that is partly because Holder kept her head on straight. In the end, Holder wasn't so "Hopeless" anymore. I think Sky and Holder will heal each other over time.

I thought some parts were a little slow but overall the entire book was very well written and definitely enjoyable. I would recommend Colleen Hoover to fans of Jamie McGuirre and Katie McGarry.

Overall, I gave the book 4/5 Kitties.


Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Word of the Week Wednesday[10]

Posted by HelloJennyReviews at 11:00 AM 0 comments




Word of the Week - Stalwartly - Pieces of Me - Page 99
Meaning - Marked by outstanding strength and vigor of body, mind and spirit.Very loyal and dedicated.


One Dream Only COVER REVEAL + Giveaway

Posted by HelloJennyReviews at 6:41 AM 0 comments
Title: ONE DREAM ONLY (ONE, TWO, THREE #0.5)
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Natalya Pushkaya has only one dream: becoming the best ballerina ever. Dancing's always been who she is and she's working her hardest to land the main role of the School of Performing Arts' end of the year recital.

But...will she make it?

Within a week, Natalya's life will be changed forever.

Prequel novelette of One, Two, Three.

You can pre-order ONE DREAM ONLY for $0.99 on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1qncXlA

ONE, TWO, THREE is available for $2.99
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1jR6AjJ
B&N.com: http://bit.ly/1yRzYAp
iTunes: http://bit.ly/1iK0qqD
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1pEi9yB


AND... Without further ado...

TADA!!!
Isn't it beautiful?



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
 
Elodie Nowodazkij was raised in a tiny village in France, where she could always be found a book in hand. At nineteen, she moved to the US, where she learned she'd never lose her French accent. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Modern Language & Linguistics, and later earned master's degrees in German Cultural Studies and European Studies. Unbeknownst to her professors, she sometimes drafted stories in class. Now she lives in Germany with her husband and their cat (who doesn't seem to realize he's not human), and uses her commuting time to write the stories swirling in her head. She's also a serial smiley user.














http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MjJiM2VmN2VhOTE1ZjVhZDM5Y2E2ZmU1Y2EzNTEwOjQ=/






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