Review: November 9

November 9 by Colleen Hoover

ISBN: 1501110349

Pages: 310
Source: Library

Publication Date: November 10, 2015

Initial Reaction:

Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.
Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

Today I have another review that is long overdue and I'm finally getting to it because college starts tomorrow and I don't want to think about my impending death. With that being said, everyone and their mother who loves contemporaries, loves Colleen Hoover. It's pretty much a given statement so when this book came out, I was on board and excited. Took me about a year but I eventually got around to it. 

Going into this book, I heard a lot of mixed reviews. There were many who loved this book, but there were also a good number of people who hated it. To being, I'm not a fan of instalove and this book started with it so talk about being turned off at the first page. However, the story managed to unfold itself into something so intriguing and emotional that I forgot all about the instalove (kinda).

Fallon and Ben remind me a lot of Owen and Amber from Confess where their relationship redefines angst because there's so much of it. Some moments were good but others were so full of cringe that I had to skim them because if I actually read the words I might have stopped reading altogether. On the good side of things, Colleen Hoover still works her magic and delivers some heart wrenching moments that made me catch my breath.

I love the concept of the story and it's definitely the reason why I picked up the book in the first place. Meeting once a year to reflect and write a love story that spawns from that?  I also loved that Colleen Hoover included excerpts from Ben's story because it added that extra touch which made the book special just like the paintings in Confess.

The excerpts revealed so much about the story and it was like the final punch in the stomach. The characters literally put themselves through such an emotional roller coaster and while I didn't love all the moments, this book really highlights young adults and their emotional progress through relationships.

4 out of 5 stars

Review: The Raven King

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
ISBN: 0545424984
Pages: 439
Source: Library
Publication Date: April 26, 2016
Initial Reaction:

Nothing living is safe. Nothing dead is to be trusted.
For years, Gansey has been on a quest to find a lost king. One by one, he’s drawn others into this quest: Ronan, who steals from dreams; Adam, whose life is no longer his own; Noah, whose life is no longer a lie; and Blue, who loves Gansey… and is certain she is destined to kill him.

Now the endgame has begun. Dreams and nightmares are converging. Love and loss are inseparable. And the quest refuses to be pinned to a path. 

This review is so long overdue I don't even know what to say. I read this breathtaking conclusion to one of my favorite series back in MAY and it's already August and I haven't written a review yet. It wasn't because I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't get a review up, I had my notes written down, but I just never got around to typing it out. Anyway, I'm sure the whole world knows that The Raven King is the conclusion to the fantastic Raven Cycle and after everything that has been happening, everyone who waited for its release knew that some big things were going to go down.

I think I've mentioned this before but the Raven Cycle is hands down one of my favorite series ever. It's full of fantastic characters, a gripping plotline, and just masterful writing. With each revelation in this novel, I felt like some part of me already knew but was just blocking out the obvious. I wanted what the characters wanted even know I had suspicions of other things. 

If you've read any of my previous reviews for the series you'll know that I absolutely love all of these characters so much, more than I've ever loved any bookish character which means I have to talk about the newest addition to the group. Henry Cheng was unexpected to say the least and while I liked his character, I felt like he arrived too late in the story and I was just too invested with the other Raven Boys to even bother really getting to know him. 

Also, Piper is one heck of a crazy lady and she drove me absolutely insane. I won't say what specifically cause spoilers but I made quite a list in my notes. Let's just say I was really happy with how things wrapped up for her (is that too mean...?)

There's also Noah, who was the first Raven Boy to capture my heart and I was a tad bit disappointed with how little page time he got. The final scenes of the book just made ever sadder because he was barely a presence in the story but he plays such an important role. It was also confusing but in a very beautiful and mystical way. 

This review is already getting too long but I still have so much to say. Everyone knew that Gansey was going to die in this book and we all knew it would be by Blue's kiss but when it happens, oh man, my heart literally stopped. I might have even cried but with the concluding chapters of the story, all I can say is that Maggie Stiefvater is a magically gifted writer because the way she crafts the story is just unbelievable. I want to say more but I'm afraid to spoil some major details so I'll leave it that.

My final concluding thought is simple #PYNCH. I did not see this coming at all but I absolutely love it. I have no words to say but I heard through the bookish grapevine (aka Twitter) that Maggie Stiefvater has a Ronan spin off trilogy in the works and I'm so incredibly excited to see how everything plays out. A huge round of applause for Maggie Stiefvater for creating the fantastic world of the Raven Boys and wrapping it up so perfectly in this epic final installment.

5 out of 5 stars

TOUR: Summerlypse

 Summerlypse by Gerado Delgadillo

ASIN: B01GSEN4TK

Pages: 318
Source: YA Bound Book Tours

Publication Date: June 20, 2016

After his crush rejects him, seventeen-year-old Colton catches a plane to Mexico, hoping to forget all about girls. But a night out at a dance club crowded with long legs in miniskirts doesn't help, especially when he meets the club's beautiful DJ, Alex.

In awe of her mixing skills, Colton finds it hard to believe Alex is deaf. As they bond, she asks him to help her win a DJ contest behind her rich, estranged father's back.

Colton's not a wimp or anything, but millionaires with armed bodyguards are not his ideal vacation buddies. The only problem—if he helps her, he may fly back home in a body bag. 

It feels so long since I've written a review that I feel awkward starting a review but here it goes. I read Summerlypse in a bit of a hurry since I'm in the midst of packing and getting back on a plane to fly back to the US but I managed to still be enraptured by the heartfelt story. Colton heads to Mexico and finds himself swept up in some fast paced crazy when he escapes his broken heart. He meets Alex, a deaf DJ, who asks him to help her win a contest behind her father's back. This leads to some unhappy parents and their bodyguards which makes his little getaway a bit more exciting than he thought.

The plot of this story is so engaging with the fast paced of certain scenes and how personal Colton's language is. The author includes phrases that might not be commonly found in most books but offer a closer perspective of the character and how they talk and think. Additionally, the setting of the story adds a different element. With the guns, the bodyguards, and the Mexican mafia involved, it's impossible not to be completely enraptured by the plot.

The relationship between Colton and Alex had my heart melting. Alex is independent and determined to show her father that and she's determined to win Summerlypse, the name of the DJ contest. Everything about their relationship is adorable from Colton's sweet personality to Alex's fire.

The whole story focuses on Colton as he grows and develops into a young man. From exploring Mexico and making new friends to escaping a crime boss, it has a bit of everything in it that makes Summerlypse super fun and enjoyable.

About the Author

Gerardo Delgadillo lives in the Dallas metropolitan area with his wife and children and dogs and cats and the occasional rabbit. Originally from San Francisco and raised in Mexico, he loves to write about contemporary teens in distress in English and Español. So no magic, dragons, or unicorns.
Gerardo's fun facts:
- At the tender age of sixteen, when giant lizards ruled the world, Gerardo was a DJ--turntables and all.
- Cloud computing is his area of expertise--just don't ask him what cloud computing means. 

- He loves football, the one played with the feet by footballers, La Liga from Spain being the best.
About his novels: 

- His writing must be emotional, or else… 

- He believes in the Oxford comma, but the Oxford comma doesn't believe in him. 

- Loves first person present tense POV. 

Author Links:

     

3.5 out of 5 stars

July Wrap Up

Hello everyone! Wow, July's post archive looks so incredibly sad...I don't really have an excuse other than the fact that I've been so busy. I've been in Taiwan for the past month so I've been spending a lot of time with family and haven't done much blogging or reading. August is going to be hectic but I'm determined to get back into blogging so I'm not posting less than 5 times during the month. Anyway, with that being said, let's get started on my small wrap up!

Summary (Linked to Reviews):

Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White - 4/5

Life After Juliet by Shannon Lee Alexander - 3.5/5

As I Darken by Kiersten White - 4.5/5

Song of Sovereign by JD Wright - 3/5

Song of Sparrows by JD Wright - 3.5/5

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins - 4/5

Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins - 4/5

Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins - 4/5

Total Pages: 2739

Reading Progress: 79/100

I actually read a lot more than I thought but the Sweet Trilogy was a binge reread which I absolutely LOVED. I'll have a reread reflection up soon (hopefully) as well as reviews for all the bajillion books I have read in the past couple of months that I promised and failed miserably to do. Hopefully August is a lot more successful! How was your month?