Waiting on Wednesday - 73

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine for bloggers and readers to get excited about upcoming books.

Purity by Jackson Pearce

A novel about love, loss, and sex -- but not necessarily in that order.

Before her mother died, Shelby promised three things: to listen to her father, to love as much as possible, and to live without restraint. Those Promises become harder to keep when Shelby's father joins the planning committee for the Princess Ball, an annual dance that ends with a ceremonial vow to live pure lives -- in other words, no "bad behavior," no breaking the rules, and definitely no sex.

Torn between Promises One and Three, Shelby makes a decision -- to exploit a loophole and lose her virginity before taking the vow. But somewhere between failed hookup attempts and helping her dad plan the ball, Shelby starts to understand what her mother really meant, what her father really needs, and who really has the right to her purity. (from GoodReads)

With commentary on purity and viriginity, I think this book sounds really interesting and relevant to our society today. Purity will be released April 24, 2012.

Top Ten Tuesday - 20

Top Ten Tuesday was started by The Broke and the Bookish for those who like books and lists.

Top Ten Books That Broke My Heart a Little

1. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
I was devastated at the ending of Clockwork Prince! I can think of nothing more heartwrenching than the state of the love triangle at the end of this novel.

2. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
First off, a world without love?? That breaks my heart! And the ending was just awful. But I am still looking forward to Pandemonium.

3. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
In my mind, everything eventually turns out well for Rhett and Scarlett, but I wish we got to see their happy ending on page.

4. The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale
This book is actually very light and funny, but when a main character died I cried my eyes out. I usually don't cry when I read books but I was literally bawling when I read this.

5. My Beating Teenage Heart by C.K. Kelly Martin
I felt so bad for the protagonist because he is suffering from immense grief.

6. Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
These poor characters! First their love is forbidden because they are related and then the ending!!

7. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
I think this one is obvious.

8. Looking for Alaska by John Green
It's always sad when characters die.

9. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
Another book with a character dying, but it's sad because it's alluded to throughout the novel.

10. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
This is sad because Sam learns a lot of lessons that are ultimately useless. Still a good read though!

My Beating Teenage Heart by C.K. Kelly Martin

Summary:
Ashlyn Baptiste is falling. One moment she was nothing—no memories, no self—and then suddenly, she's plummeting through a sea of stars. Is she in a coma? She doesn't remember dying, and she has no memories of the life she left behind. All she knows is that she's trapped in a consciousness without a body and she's spending every moment watching a stranger.

Breckon Cody's on the edge. He's being ripped apart by grief so intense it literally hurts to breathe. On the surface, Breckon is trying to hold it together for his family and his girlfriend, but underneath he's barely hanging on.

Even though she didn't know him in life, Ashlyn sees Breckon's pain, and she's determined to find a way help him. As her own distressing memories emerge from the darkness, she struggles to communicate with the boy who can't see her, but whose life is suddenly intertwined with hers. In alternating voices of the main characters, My Beating Teenage Heart paints a devastatingly vivid picture of both the heartbreak and the promise of teenage life—a life Ashlyn would do anything to recover and Breckon seems desperate to destroy—and will appeal to fans of Sarah Dessen, John Green, and David Levithan. (from GoodReads)

Review:
I think that C.K. Kelly Martin is an underrated author. Her books are really good, but I never hear many bloggers gushing over her. I also love that the books take place in Canada (it's something different). My Beating Teenage Heart was engaging, emotional, and ultimately hopeful.

My Beating Teenage Heart was incredibly sad - Breckon's younger sister has just died and he's trying to deal with the grief. And since it was a totally unexpected accident, it was that much harder. I can't imagine going through what Breckon's family is suffering, but I think that Martin portrayed it very well. Everybody would react differently, and while I hope I'm not as broken as Breckon was, I understood his feelings and actions.

In comes Ashlyn, who is like a spirit, but she's tethered to Breckon and is forced to watch him. At first she can't remember who she is, but then suddenly the memories start coming back. I liked learning more and more about Ashlyn, and finally seeing what happened to get her to this state.

The book is narrated by both characters, so you get to see into each other's heads. This is a book where you definitely need both perspectives.

Overall, I thought My Beating Teenage Heart was very well-written and definitely emotional. Like I said earlier, it's not totally depressing, as the ending is very hopeful. I would recommend this to fans of dramatic and heavier fiction.

Rating: 7 out of 10.
FTC: received from publisher.

2011/Random House/288 pages.

Waiting on Wednesday - 72

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine for bloggers and readers to get excited about upcoming books.

A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

Whitley Johnson's dream summer with her divorce dad has turned into a nightmare. She's just met his new fiancee and her kids. The fiancee's son? Whitley's one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin' great.

Worse, she totally doesn't fit in with her dad's perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do" friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn't her stepbrother...at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.

Filled with authenticity and raw emotion, Whitley is Kody Keplinger's most compelling character to date: a cynical Holden Caulfield-esque girl you will wholly care about. (from GoodReads)

I absolutely loved The Duff (haven't read Shut Out yet) so I know I'm going to enjoy this one! Plus I'm always interested in stories about step-families - they always have so much drama! A Midsummer's Nightmare will be released June 5, 2012.

Top Ten Tuesday - 19

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish for those who like books and lists.

Top Ten Books I'd Hand to Someone Who Doesn't Like to Read

1. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Sorry that these books are on every one of my lists, but they deserve to be! Nuff said.

2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Everyone and their mother is reading these books (even my dad read them!) and I gave them to a friend who doesn't read a whole lot and she obviously loved them.

3. The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti
I would give this to a teenage girl because I love all of Caletti's work and I think all her protagonists are extremely relateable.

4. The Giver by Lois Lowry
This is a requirement in many schools and I haven't heard of anyone disliking it yet. It's a pretty easy read, as well, which adds to its appeal.

5. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald
This is definitely a good classic for non-readers. Even though it's 80 years old, the language is not too hard to read. Plus, jazz, drinking and parties? What high schooler (or anyone else for that matter) doesn't like that?

6. Divergent by Veronica Roth
This book is very engaging and really keeps you on your toes. All the action makes it feel like you're not even reading a book.

7. Paper Towns by John Green
This is my favorite of his so far (haven't read The Fault in Our Stars yet) and I think both boys and girls would love this!

8. The Mortal Instruments & The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare
These are two of my favorite series and the fantasy world is beautifully written. There's also plenty of action, bravery, humor and romance to satisfy everyone's needs.

9. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
This is another easy, but awesome, classic. I first read it in fifth grade so I think it's a great book for all ages.

10. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult is an extremely talented writer and all of her books are wonderful.

Paradise by Jill S. Alexander

Summary:
Paisley Tillery is the drummer for a country rock band. If they can make it to the stage at the Texapalooza music fest, then Paisley will be closer to her dream of a career in music and a ticket out of her small Texas town.

Drumming and music are what Paisley has always wanted. Until the band gets a new lead singer, the boy from Paradise, Texas. With Paradise in her life, what Paisley wants, and what she needs, complicate her dreams coming true. (from GoodReads)

Review:
I wasn't sure what to expect when I first started Paradise - the cover is pretty generic. I had no idea this was going to be about music; it seemed like a plain romance by the cover. So I was pleasantly surprised when I found that the protagonist, Paisley, is the drummer of a band, but she was keeping it a secret from her mother. However, I did not think Paradise was executed that well, and had a horrible ending.

I liked the premise and setting a lot. Paisley lives in rural Texas, so it has that country feel. Her mother is really strict with Paisley and her sister, and would not approve of Paisley drumming in the band. I definitely understand where a parent like that is coming from, but it made no sense that Paisley's mother would push her sister, Lacey, to be a singer. Lacey has no desires to be a musician, but Paisley's mom doesn't care. I thought it was odd that she would support one daughter who wanted to be a singer but wouldn't support the other who wanted to be a drummer. I could see if her mom was pushing Lacey to be in science fairs or something, but the entertainment business?

The book is called Paradise, and that's because The Waylon Slider Band (Paisley's band) hires a new lead singer named Gabe. Paisley calls him Paradise because that's the town he's from. They have an "instant romance" that was based mainly on lust. There's a lot of kissing, which is fine, but I honestly don't think there was one scene where they have a serious conversation. Light flings are fun, and I wouldn't care too much about that but...there's the ending.

No spoilers, but the ending would have worked better if Paradise and Paisley had had a real relationship. But since they didn't, the ending came out of left field (in a bad way). I was not impressed at all with how the author concluded this book.

Even though Paradise has some good points, like focusing on music in rural Texas, the actual story and ending make it hard to sing the praises of this book.

Rating: 6 out of 10.
FTC: received from the publisher

2011/Feiwel & Friends/256 pages.

Waiting on Wednesday - 71

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine for bloggers and readers to get excited about upcoming books.

Endlessly by Kiersten White

The third book in the Paranormalcy trilogy.The final chapter of Evie's adventures. Old friends, new ones, all wrapped up in impossible decisions. And some ball gowns. Because what's a life of normal and paranormal drama without a ball gown or two? (From GoodReads)

I know this summary doesn't really tell anything about the book, but I'm still excited for Endlessly! The other books in this trilogy are really cute so I can't wait to see how it all wraps up. Endlessly will be released July 24, 2012.