If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin

Summary:
If he had been with me, he wouldn't have died.

Throughout their whole childhood, Finn and Autumn were inseparable—they finished each other's sentences, they knew just what to say when the other person was hurting. But one incident in middle school puts them in separate social worlds come high school, and Autumn has been happily dating James for the last 2 years. But she's always wondered what if...

The night she's about to get the answer is also one of terrible tragedy. (from GoodReads)

Review:
Laura Nowlin has created a captivating story, which is surprising because the premise of the book is so simple. Basically, the book is about the unusual relationship between Finn and Autumn. Their mothers have been best friends since they were young and the two families live next door to each other. They eat dinner together frequently and celebrate holidays as one family. This dynamic becomes unusual when Finn is a popular kid and Autumn is in the "outcast" clique. They don't talk in school but are around each other a lot, much to the chagrin of their respective groups.

If He Had Been With Me follows Autumn throughout her entire high school career, which sounds tedious but the novel had wonderful pacing. Even reading about class and prom and relationship drama was so interesting because it all revolves around the enigmatic Finn. There are even flashbacks perfectly placed in the story to enhance the narrative and add depth to Finn and Autumn's relationship. You're practically rooting for them to get together even though both are in other relationships. The tension jumps off the page when Finn and Autumn are in a scene together and those were my favorite parts to read.

Laura Nowlin has really got the teenage voice down pat. Autumn and her friends would say and do things that were similar to me and my friends. There were also some genuinely funny lines that made me laugh. If you read What We Keep is Not Always What Will Stay, this novel reminds me a lot of that book, with a quirky narrator and great writing. However, even with the lightheartedness that is present throughout most of the novel, the reader knows from the first chapter that something tragic happens to Finn. Though it's easy to forget this fact when you're reading about Christmas and touring colleges. I tried to put it out of my mind but it still hits you at the end. If He Had Been With Me confirms Autumn's assertion that sometimes sadness is beautiful.

With that said, I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to fans of contemporary fiction and romance or if you're looking for a deep read with a rich narrative.

Rating: 9 out of 10.
FTC: borrowed from the library.

2013/Sourcebooks Fire/330 pages.

Waiting on Wednesday - 145

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine for bloggers and readers to see what new books are going to be released.

In the Age of Love and Chocolate by Gabrielle Zevin

All These Things I’ve Done introduced us to timeless heroine Anya Balanchine, a plucky sixteen year old with the heart of a girl and the responsibilities of a grown woman. Now eighteen, life has been more bitter than sweet for Anya. She has lost her parents and her grandmother, and has spent the better part of her high school years in trouble with the law. Perhaps hardest of all, her decision to open a nightclub with her old nemesis Charles Delacroix has cost Anya her relationship with Win.

Still, it is Anya’s nature to soldier on. She puts the loss of Win behind her and focuses on her work. Against the odds, the nightclub becomes an enormous success, and Anya feels like she is on her way and that nothing will ever go wrong for her again. But after a terrible misjudgment leaves Anya fighting for her life, she is forced to reckon with her choices and to let people help her for the first time in her life. 

In the Age of Love and Chocolate is the story of growing up and learning what love really is. It showcases the best of Gabrielle Zevin’s writing for young adults: the intricate characterization of Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac and the big-heartedness of Elsewhere. It will make you remember why you loved her writing in the first place. (from GoodReads)

I am so excited to finally finish this trilogy and I still can't get over how all the titles form one long sentence: All these things I've done because it is my blood in the age of love and chocolate. I love that! In the Age of Love and Chocolate will be released October 29, 2013.

Top Ten Tuesday - 90

Top Ten Tuesday was started by The Broke and the Bookish for bloggers who like to make lists about books.

Top Ten Best & Worst Book-to-Movie Adaptations

BEST

1. The Hunger Games - I was so so impressed by this movie. My expectations were extraordinarily high, but I was wasn't disappointed in the least (which is super unusual). The acting, dialogue, sets, pacing were all fantastic and I cannot wait for Catching Fire!

2. Game of Thrones - Technically a TV show but it definitely belongs on this list. I've talked about Game of Thrones before but I can't get over how amazing the adaptation is. The actors are cast wonderfully and the sets look like they cost a million dollars (because they do!).

3. Something Borrowed - I was pleasantly surprised by this movie and that it didn't fall into some cliche romantic comedy trap. The book was wonderful and the movie was perfect, even with some of the changes. All the actors did a great job, but John Krasinski stole the show!

4. The Great Gatsby (2013) - This is probably a controversial pick, but since I haven't seen the other movies I can only comment on this one! And I loved this adaptation, even with the minor changes. Leonardo DiCaprio brought the character of Gatsby and I enjoyed watching him onscreen.

5. Jane Eyre (2011) - Jane Eyre is one of my favorite classic novels and I think this was such a good movie! My sister, who hadn't read the book, even understood what was going on so you know it's good!

WORST

1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Naturally I love all the Harry Potter movies but I think this one was the worst. It was the shortest movie for the longest book (makes no sense to me) and it was extremely rushed. They cut out so much that it was hard to enjoy the movie the first time around.

2. The Last Song - The book was decent but unfortunately Miley Cyrus really brought the movie down. It doesn't help that the dialogue was atrocious.

3. Dear John - This movie wasn't too bad but some things irked me, like the actor they cast as Amanda Seyfried's other love interest. He was old and not the same character as in the book.

4. Twilight - If you think the book is bad try watching the movie! It's good for laughs though.

5. New Moon - I couldn't think of a separate movie so here's another Twilight for ya.

Hattie Ever After by Kirby Larson

Summary:
After leaving Uncle Chester's homestead claim, orphan Hattie Brooks throws a lasso around a new dream, even bigger than the Montana sky. She wants to be a reporter, knowing full well that a few pieces published in the Arlington News will not suffice. Real reporters must go to Grand Places, and do Grand Things, like Hattie's hero Nellie Bly. Another girl might be stymied by this, but Hattie has faced down a hungry wolf and stood up to a mob of angry men. Nothing can squash her desire to write for a big city newspaper. A letter and love token from Uncle Chester's old flame in San Francisco fuels that desire and Hattie jumps at the opportunity to get there by working as a seamstress for a traveling acting troupe. This could be her chance to solve the mystery of her "scoundrel" uncle and, in the process, help her learn more about herself.

 But Hattie must first tell Charlie that she will not join him in Seattle. Even though her heart approves of Charlie's plan for their marriage, her mind fears that saying yes to him would be saying no to herself. Hattie holds her own in the big city, literally pitching her way to a byline, and a career that could be even bigger than Nellie Bly's. But can making headlines compensate for the pain of betrayal and lost love? Hattie must dig deep to find her own true place in the world. Kirby Larson once again creates a lovingly written novel about the remarkable and resilient young orphan, Hattie Inez Brooks. (from GoodReads)

Review:
One of the first books I ever reviewed was Hattie Big Sky, the predecessor to this novel. So it holds a very special place in my heart and it's fitting that now I'm reviewing Hattie Ever After. 

Even though it's been quite a few years since I read about Hattie, I was able to easily jump back into the story. There were a few things I had forgotten, but I figured out what was going on. The first book was all about Hattie trying to make it out in Montana on her uncle's long-forgotten homestead. Hattie Ever After is a huge change of pace because Hattie moves to San Francisco to be a reporter. At first I thought it was so random until I was reminded that she used to write little stories about Montana for her hometown newspaper in Iowa. This is a huge dream for a young woman in the early twentieth century, but Hattie's talent and gusto for writing make her a great reporter and she is able to hold her own with the men.

Hattie chooses San Francisco because she received a letter and token from her Uncle's old lover and wanted some answers about his life. He called himself a "scoundrel" and Hattie is determined to figure out why. There were several plot points that were meant to be twists, but I easily predicted them. You can't pull one over on me! Even so, that didn't stop me from enjoying Hattie journey and development. 

It was so nice to visit an old character that I liked reading about. I don't know if the author is continuing the story but I would love to read more about Hattie! History buffs will find the story information because there is a ton of great information about American life during the turn of the century.

Rating: 8 out of 10.
FTC: reviewed through LitPick

2013/Delacorte Press/240 pages.

Chameleon by Kelly Oram (Blog Tour & Giveaway)

Summary:
For small-town rebel Dani Webber magic and monsters are no more real than the Easter Bunny… until the day she accidentally stops time. Dani quickly discovers that not only do supernaturals exist, but she herself is one of them. This is great news for her life-long best friend Russ, who can finally come clean about his own supernatural status and his undying love for her. Before the two can start to enjoy the long overdue relationship, Dani is taken by a powerful council of supernaturals who believe she is the Chosen One destined to save them from extinction.

As if being kidnapped and expected to save the world isn’t bad enough, an ancient prophecy warns of the Chosen One’s dark nature: “Only the truest love will keep her an agent for good.” The council believes they know who this “true love” is and, unfortunately, that person isn’t Russ. The mysterious, powerful and devastatingly handsome Seer is the last person Dani wants in her life, but when she starts having visions of a horrific future, she has no one else to turn to for help.

Soon Dani finds herself torn between two very different boys with two very different opinions of whom she can trust. With the visions getting worse and time running out, Dani is forced to put aside her feelings and work with both the Seer and Russ before an ancient evil is unleashed upon the earth. (from GoodReads)

Review:
I'm a huge fan of Kelly Oram and I've previously read her two contemporary novels: Serial Hottie and V is For Virgin. So Chameleon is the first fantasy novel I've read by this author. While I enjoyed Chameleon, I think I like her contemporary books better.

There were both things I liked and disliked in Chameleon. First, I thought Dani was a kick-ass heroine. She's super powerful (but doesn't know it until her abilities manifest) and thrown into the supernatural world so she has no idea what's going on. Even so, she remains a strong and tough protagonist. She's intent on doing the right thing and is able to navigate this new environment while trying to figure out who to trust.

The supernatural world of Chameleon was very interesting and features the creatures we're used to seeing in other YA books, such as fairies, vampires and warlocks. However, Dani is the most powerful creature there is because she can change forms when she touches a different being - a so-called "chameleon." I liked that spin and the fact that there are "Seers" who get visions of the future. The mystery of who is killing the supernatural beings was interesting and I was caught off guard by who the villain ended up being. I was not expecting that twist at all!

The only thing I disliked in Chameleon was the love triangle between Dani, Russ and Gabriel. Russ is Dani's childhood friend who also happens to be a warlock and Gabriel is a Seer that Dani is "married" to by the Council in order to forge a powerful supernatural bond. Naturally this doesn't sit well with Russ, who believes that Dani belongs to him. I thought the triangle was a distraction from the actual story and made the novel unnecessarily long. It didn't help that I didn't like the two love interests: Russ acted like a jerk and Gabriel was too formal and proper. I would have much rather read about the new supernatural creatures we're introduced to and spent more time on the actual plot.

Overall, I enjoyed Kelly Oram's spin on the popular fantasy genre. She always writes great female leads who are strong and kick butt throughout the story! I can't wait to read more of her work.

Rating: 7 out of 10.
FTC: PDF sent by author

2013/Bluefields/356 pages

The rest of the blog tour.

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Waiting on Wednesday - 144

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine for bloggers and readers to see what new books will be released soon.

Frozen by Erin Bowman

The Heists were only the beginning.

Gray Weathersby escaped from the primitive town of Claysoot expecting to find answers, but what he discovered shook him to the core: A ruthless dictator with absolute power. An army of young soldiers blinded by lies. And a growing rebellion determined to fight back.

Now Gray has joined a team of rebels on a harsh, icy journey in search of allies who can help them set things right. But in a world built on lies, Gray must constantly question whether any ally—or enemy—is truly what they seem…(from GoodReads)

I just finished Taken so of course I'm looking forward to the sequel! Frozen will be released April 15, 2014.

Top Ten Tuesday - 89

Top Ten Tuesday was started by The Broke and the Bookish for bloggers who like to make lists about books.

Top Ten Most Intimidating Books

1. Cien Anos de Soledad (One Hundred Years of Solitude) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I decided today that I want to read a book in Spanish and my library has a copy of this! Suffice to say, I am so intimidated because it's going to be really hard. But I want to do it!

2. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

I've already read Anna Karenina and it took me awhile to read due to length and language. I'm sure I would face the same trouble here!

3. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

I'm intimidated by the content of this one, especially since it's about an underage affair.

4. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevski

Another book that's super long! And since it's another Russian writer I'm sure the language is similar to Anna Karenina.

5. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

I still haven't read this but I really want to. I'm just afraid it won't be as good as Harry Potter.

6. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Everyone has loved this book so I feel like I should read it but what if I don't like it as much as everyone else?

7. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

I have had this book on my shelf for a really long time but haven't read it yet. Again, I'm afraid I won't like it as much as everyone else, plus it's one of the original classics.

8. Henry VIII by William Shakespeare

I love the Tudors but have yet to read Shakespeare's adaptation. He's very  intimidating because the writing is so different.

9. Henry VIII: The King and His Court by Alison Weir

I bought this at a used bookstore because I love the Tudors (see above) but I usually just read historical fiction. This is a non-fiction history book!

10. The Odyssey by Homer

I never had to read this in school and I feel like I should have! It's so long though.