Word of the Week Wednesday[11]

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

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

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.

Stacking The Shelves[23]

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 =)

REVIEW: Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

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.

Word of the Week Wednesday[10]

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

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.

• Goodreads

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.

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Publication Day Review: Stronger Than You Know by Jolene Perry

I adored Stronger Than You Know. I think everyone who has ever been through tough situations should read it just so they know that its possible to make it through anything. Also, as a warning, this book is about some pretty terrible abuse. So if you don't like reading about that then steer clear of this book.

Joy is such a timid little thing. When we first meet her all the answers we get are through questions her therapist asks. She is afraid of her uncle and she won't look up from her feet when shes at school. She is broken. 

As the book moves forward Joy goes back and forth from progression to recession. She moves so far ahead only to be knocked back even more by a word, scent, thought, etc. 

I think Joy and Justin are PERFECT for each other. She calms him and he encourages her. He helps her move forward so much more than anyone else did I think. Well, aside from Uncle Rob.

Once Joy started talking to Uncle Rob he actually became a HUGE character in the book. She was her protector and I think he needed her to be safe just as much as she wanted it. Most family situations like this aren't as close or there is a lot more stress and fighting. This family was pretty much perfect and Nicole and Rob has so much love to give. Joy got extremely lucky with her Aunts family.

Seeing Joy open up and let people in is a huge deal. You get to see exactly what can happen when a child is emotionally and physically abused. They pretty much shut down and think the deserved everything that happened to them. I am glad she go over that and was able to thrive.

Further along in the book we no longer see the chats with Lydia. I think that is because her talks with Lydia aren't as big an impact as her growing and learning to trust those around her. She is building other relationships and opening up to her family. Lydia was the way we learned about her but now that Joy talks to other people we don't need Lydia anymore to ask questions so we have answers.

I feel like the book ended rather abruptly. Everything was ended in 3 short chapters and I would have loved to have found out her mothers verdict. Whether or not her and Justin last. And if Trent stayed the nice guy.

I do love that Joy had a happy ending. Most kids in her situation hardly ever have happy endings. They either crumble under the stress or they try to end their pain in different ways. Sadly, as the author said, the inspiration for this story didn't end as happily. 

Overall I gave the book 5/5 Kitties regardless of my unanswered questions.