Review: Paperweight by Meg Haston

Title: Paperweight

Author: Meg Haston

Publisher: Harper Teen

Publication: July 7th 2015

Cover Rating: 5/5

Goodreads | Amazon

Paperweight is an amazing, heart-breaking book. So much pain, sorrow, agony and loneliness is packed into this tiny book that I am surprised it was written as great as it was. How can you fit so much into a book? Let alone a small book. I don't know how the author did it but she did it perfectly. 

Stevie is one of those characters where you love and hate her. She has been through a lot and has caused a lot of pain and is still causing pain. She hurts everyone, including herself, all because he selfish bitch of a mother decided to leave. Yes, that is tragic, but the wake of destruction she leaves and the brutal pain she causes is unforgivable in my eyes. It is just amazing to see how the brain works around an eating disorder and what causes most disorders. Most are caused by a great deal or pain and loss. Families are a huge factor in a lot of eating disorders.

I liked the Dr. She truly cared about helping Stevie and she even had some skeletons of her own. She was very down to earth and I think the book would have been an entirely different one had the Dr. been a stuffy old man who just wanted to fix people and move on. I also have a feeling that Stevie might have been dead or never would have returned to the rehab if she had a different Dr. caring for her. 

All the girls in the book are different yet so much alike. They have all been hurt by someone they loved. All except for one. And she felt like shit after hearing the other girls stories. Like she had no reason for her bulimia like the other girls had. They were all in such fragile states of mind and it takes one hell of a person to help these girls. I got frustrated by some of the things that were said and felt that the girls were weak. Everyone goes through pain in their life and we don't all turn to eating disorders, drugs and alcohol. I just feel like people who need crutches are honestly weak. It just sucks knowing that some people just aren't strong enough to live. I think school should focus on helping kids emotionally a long with academically. But just because these girls are the way they are doesn't make them weak. It just means people like me can take a lot more pain than someone else.

How do you rate a book like this? You can hate the content and the actions of the girls as much as you want but can you truly hate the book? The author told the stories of these girls in such an amazing way. She didn't paint rainbows and sugar coat everything. She showed the brutal and gritty horror that is eating disorders and I don't think the book can be rated strictly based on the story itself. It has to be rated on the story, characters, plot points and development along with the very difficult subject matter that the author was brave enough to tackle. The bravery points alone give this book an amazing rating.

Aside from the story, one thing I would like to address is the cover. This cover has a hidden meaning to me. Even though something is pretty on the outside doesn't mean the inside will be the same. I love the cover so much. I am not sure if anyone else will get the same feelings it gave me but I can hope.

Overall, I gave the book 5/5 stars.

Release Day: September 8th 2015 St. Martin's

The final book in the brilliantly paced Extraction series. About a fearless girl who wins escape from a brutal life only to find herself battling to save her planet from destruction.

THE FIGHT FOR THEIR LIVES STARTS NOW

Clementine and Logan’s world is on the brink of destruction. An army of aliens from the distant planet Marden has arrived with a massive fleet of battleships, intent on finally putting an end to an age-old war. With the Alliance headquarters reduced to rubble and one of the rebel leaders close to death, Clementine and her friends have no choice but to retreat to the Core to escape the alien ships attacking the Surface.

But safety in the Core means forming a temporary alliance with their sworn enemy. Though he's a ruthless man they cannot trust, striking a bargain with him—his pardon in exchange for their help defeating the Mardenites—seems the only way the rebels might survive. The only way that Clementine and Logan might finally live in peace. But their hope for peace is short lived as they soon find out that Marden's force is more powerful than anyone anticipated, with weapons and technologies never before seen on Kiel. Unless old feuds can be set aside long enough for a diplomatic solution to be found, all of Kiel's people will be destroyed, and all of Clementine’s sacrifices will mean nothing. 

With pulse-pounding twists and turns, the stunning conclusion to the Extraction series will leave you breathless!

Release Day: September 1st 2015 St. Martin's

A modern-day Romeo and Juliet story in which a wealthy Southern boy falls in love with an undocumented Mexican girl and together they face perils in their hostile Georgia town.

Evan, a soccer star and the nephew of a conservative Southern Senator, has never wanted for much -- except a functional family. Alma has lived in Georgia since she was two-years-old, excels in school, and has a large, warm Mexican family. Never mind their differences, the two fall in love, and they fall hard. But when ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) begins raids on their town, Alma knows that she needs to tell Evan her secret. There's too much at stake. But how to tell her country-club boyfriend that she’s an undocumented immigrant? That her whole family and most of her friends live in the country without permission. What follows is a beautiful, nuanced, well-paced exploration of the complications of immigration, young love, defying one’s family, and facing a tangled bureaucracy that threatens to completely upend two young lives.

Release Day: September 1st 2015 Entangled Teen

Meet Morgan Dey, one of the top teen Reducers at The Body Institute. 

Thanks to cutting-edge technology, Morgan can temporarily take over another girl’s body, get her in shape, and then return to her own body—leaving her client slimmer, more toned, and feeling great. Only there are a few catches…

For one, Morgan won’t remember what happens in her “Loaner” body. Once she’s done, she won’t recall walks with her new friend Matt, conversations with the super-cute Reducer she’s been text-flirting with, or the uneasy feeling she has that the director of The Body Institute is hiding something. Still, it’s all worth it in the name of science. Until the glitches start…

Suddenly, residual memories from her Loaner are cropping up in Morgan’s mind. She’s feeling less like herself and more like someone else. And when protests from an anti–Body Institute organization threaten her safety, she’ll have to decide if being a Reducer is worth the cost of her body and soul…

Gramps always said that when the crickets were quiet, something bad was coming. And the crickets have been as silent as the dead. It started with the murdered deer in the playground with the unmistakable purple of a foxglove in its mouth. But in the dying boondock town of Emerald Cove, life goes on.

I work at Gramps's diner, and the cakes―the entitled rich kids who vacation here―make our lives hell. My best friend, Alex Pace, is the one person who gets me. Only Alex has changed. He's almost like a stranger now. I can't figure it out...or why I'm having distinctly more-than-friend feelings for him. Ones I shouldn't be having.

Then one of the cakes disappears.

When she turns up murdered, a foxglove in her mouth, a rumor goes around that Alex was the last person seen with her—and everyone but me believes it. Well, everyone except my worst enemy, Jenika Shaw. When Alex goes missing, it's up to us to prove his innocence and uncover the true killer. But the truth will shatter everything I've ever known about myself — and Alex.

Review: Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern

Title: Love, Rosie

Author: Cecelia Ahern

Publisher: Hatchett Books

Publication: December 1st 2006

Cover Rating: 2/5

Goodreads | Amazon

AHHHHH Where to begin?! I got super excited to read this after I saw the movie and BAM! finally got my hands on it! So freaking excited! Anyways, first thing about this book, its written in chat messeges, emails, and letters. Which at first I didnt think would be appealing to me when I first found out but then I loved it. Its basicly like looking into someones life and figuring out what they were feeling yet still wondering if thats all that they were actually feeling or simply saying... You know? Its a funny book, its full of humor and I LOVE Alex, of course I kept picturing Sam Claflin as Alex, so that might have been the reason I was so in love with him xD as well as Rosie being Lily Collins.

Just... look at him *heart eyes emoji here*

It was a beautiful movie and its a beautiful book. Its so stressing how it takes them so long to get together, but thats the reality of life. It just doesnt happen easily and things keep getting in the way. I was sad that the book didnt give more in the epilogue but at the same time it was kind of perfect. 

I I actually had this picture as my wallpaper for the whole summer... 

Recommend it?

Yup, if you like romance novels, this might be for you. I suggest you read an excerpt first though, the way its written might not be everyones cup of tea. Its all in letters and emails and IM's

Overall, I gave the book 5/5 stars.

Review: All We Have is Now by Lisa Schroeder

Title: All We Have is Now

Author: Lisa Schroeder

Publisher: Scholastic INC.

Publication: July 28th 2015

Cover Rating: 5/5

Goodreads | Amazon

Do authors know something that us normal people don't? There have been sooo many asteroid, meteor, world going BOOM books coming out lately and it really has me wondering. All We Have is Now is the first book in this category that I have read and I can say that I am not entirely impressed. The book wasn't terrible. In fact, there are a lot of redeeming moments and truly beautiful events that happen. But the overall fact of the WORLD IS ENDING just wasn't that great. 

Emerson.... Eh. I have never thought of a homeless person as spoiled but that is how she comes off. She ran away from home just because her mother didn't want her bad ass around her new daughter. And, to be honest, she probably would have either crawled her ass back home or ended up dead by now if it hadn't of been for Vince. He loved her and all she could say was "Oh, I don't wanna get hurt again."

Vince was so amazing. For someone who had been through so much pain and suffering he truly enjoyed making other people happy. I know his choice to 'runaway' was just that, a choice, but his real family was gone. I don't understand how he had any empathy for Emerson. Her family was ALL still alive and she ran away because she got grounded and wanted to party. If I was Vince I would have told Emerson to go the ^%#@ home.

The book is told in some very interesting ways. First, it is told over the span of about a day. Each chapter has the current time and says how long until doomsday. Then we have chapters from Emerson and Vince's perspectives, Carl's perspective and then short pages told in verse that go between present time and flashbacks. I have read a few of Lisa Schroeder's other books and I can't say they were impressive. I actually can't even remember much about them. But I really did like the writing style of this book. It kept things interesting and I can appreciate that. 

This book made being homeless in Oregon seem fairly easy. Yeah, some hard times were listed but considering Vince and Emerson had been homeless for 1 and a half years, at the time of the asteroid, and didn't mention any illness or injuries. Being in the elements and around so many other people they should have gotten sick or injured at least once. 

The book was going to get a lower rating but towards the end I started to like some parts of it. And I knew the ending was going to be the way it was. I wouldn't be surprised if something like the plot of this book actually did happen. This world needs a HUGE wake up call.

Overall, I gave the book 3.5/5 stars

Review: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Title: The Distance Between Us

Author: Kasie West

Publisher: Harper Teen

Publication: July 2nd 2013

Cover Rating: 3/5

Goodreads | Amazon

Caymen could often get on my nerves. 

Yeah I started with that because its true, she often got on my nerves. I get that her sarcasm is supposed to represent how she really feels about many things but she just over used it and simply became annoying. If I look past that though, its a good read. I like the cuteness that the story has, its a good book to read between epic books. I wouldnt say this book is particularly memorable at all. The reason I say that is because I felt like nothing was happening at all for over the first half of the book, I found it a bit boring but THEN a whole bunch of stuff started happening and its like DAMN, cant you just like... CHILL a bit now XD the last half or quarter of the book really kept me on the edge of my seat, I like speed read the last part of the book xD it redeemed itself at the last minute.

Recommend it?

mmmmm if you want to come off this like epic book high and just chill before you get into another high excitement book, this one would be your to go to book. 

Overall, I gave the book 3.5/5 stars.