November 9

Title: November 9
Author: Colleen Hoover
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Pages: 310
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Purchase this books:
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Book Depository

The day is November 9, and mere hours away from moving all the way from LA to NYC, Fallon sits down at a table in a restaurant to talk to her self-obsessed father. However, things take a turn when 18 year old Ben slips into the booth next to her, completely altering her life.

Despite how enamoured the two are with each other, they agree that it'd be best if they both only meet each other once a year, on November 9th, allowing each to live a full life, distraction free, until Fallon has reached the age of 23. Because she'll have her life figured out by the time she's turned 23 according to her mother, and 23 is the only safe age to fall in love.

---

You ever open a book, just kind of reading it to tick something else off your TBR, and it ends up blowing your mind. That's November 9 for me. This book was absolutely heart stopping. I've never read any Colleen Hoover before, but this novel has definitely convinced me to try out some more of her works. (Any suggestions?) 

We start off with 18 year old Fallon, explaining to her movie star father that she's moving all the way across the country to start up a career in Broadway. Fallon was an actress for film/TV before she got seriously injured in a fire while sleeping at her dad's house exactly two years prior. The fire scorched her skin, giving her long scars that marred her left side. At the time, she'd been staring in a big TV show, jumpstarting her career as an actress. However, after the fire, the company broke her contract and she found herself unable to land a role. 

So she's talking to her father about how she wants to take up theatre, and he has the audacity to tell her she's no longer pretty enough to act professionally. Infuriated from the nearby booth, Ben slips into their table and goes off on Fallon's dad. Afterwards, they sort of fall for each other. With the prospect of Fallon moving away looming ahead, they agree to meet every year on that same day- November 9. 

I thought it was such a unique idea. I literally knew nothing about this novel going into it, but my interest was immediately grasped- right from the start. From Fallon's interesting condition to the crazy agreement the two set up, this book is a completely new and unique storyline. 

And it was just completely addicting, I couldn't stop reading. It wasn't your typical, straightforward romance novel- it was something completely new and completely original. Nothing was predictable. Plus it was kind of cool reading about Fallon trying to cope with having her self confidence stolen away, as a subplot to the actual story. And watching her relationship develop with her movie star father was another subplot I enjoyed.

I highly, highly recommend you read November 9 by Colleen Hoover. It was an absolutely amazing read, and it fully deserves the five stars I'm giving it.

Click here to view November 9 on Goodreads

Anna and the French Kiss

Title: Anna and the French Kiss

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Pages: 372

Rating: 4 Stars

Purchase this book:

Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Book Depository

Anna does not want to leave her home in Atlanta, but her rich and famous author-father believes that attending a boarding school in Paris will be "beneficial". So, Anna packs her bags and sets off for the City of Light. However, when she gets there, she discovers that maybe Paris won't be as bad as she thinks- especially once she's set her eyes on the charismatic Étienne St. Clair. 

---

This book was so cute! I don't read that much contemporary, and even less romance, but I was pleasantly surprised here. The Parisian setting along with the adorable characters create a lovable, fun novel.

My favorite aspect of Anna and the French Kiss is definitely the setting. Reading a book that takes place in Paris is just flat out fun. A lot of contemporary books are set in the states, a setting I'm familiar with, so it doesn't have the new and exciting feel to it. Paris is a place so different and distant from what I'm used to, and it made the book all that more enjoyable. I also take French, so I do know about the culture, geography, and language.  I think my background knowledge on the location allowed me to appreciate things in the story even more. 

The characters are fun, too. Sure, "charismatic, confident boy meets shy, new girl" is a little cliché, but it doesn't matter because their relationship is so unique. They're strong friends throughout the book, rather than instantly a couple. Plus, they aren't the only characters in the novel. Their other friends have unique personalities that make the book special and different. 

I will have to say that the writing in the book wasn't always the best. Sometimes I felt like the sentence structure was too choppy and disruptive. Too flat. And there were a few points in the plot that were way too convenient/predictable.  But, the story was super addictive, and I just really enjoyed getting to sit down and read this book. 

I read in the acknowledgements that this novel started out as a National Novel Writing Month book- how cool is that? So, I'm giving Anna and the French Kiss four stars for it's lovely characters, adorable romance, and fresh plot line. If you're reluctant about contemporary and/or romance, give this book a try! I think you'll like it. 

Eleanor and Park

Title: Eleanor and Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction
Pages: 328 
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Purchase this book here

     Eleanor lives a hard life.  Her family is in pieces, she owns practically nothing, and she's a social outcast to top it off.  
     Park has everything one could every want.  A loving family, a warm house, and a mutual, friendly feeling towards everyone in school.  
     It's hard to imagine that two people so virtually different would ever find their paths crossing, but for Eleanor and Park, that's exactly what happens.  In this fast-paced novel, you follow the ever complicated story of two teenagers, drowning in desperate romance.  

---

I really liked this novel.  I had some trouble really getting into it, but as the novel hit it's climax, I found myself unable to put it down!  It's a really simple, refreshing romance, with it's own twist. 

My favorite part of this book was definitely the relationships. First, there is the obvious: Eleanor and Park.  The way their romance evolves, starting slowly and then speeding up, was beautifully done.  Eleanor loves the simplest things.  The hand holding, the talking.  It was rather refreshing coming from a genre that is usually the opposite. 

The next relationship is Eleanor and Mindy.  I found it to be quite enjoyable.  The two start off very cold and distant, Mindy taking Eleanor's disregard for fashion and beauty as a personal offence, but as the story progresses, Mindy finds herself able to relate to Eleanor, and she becomes the daughter Mindy never had.  It was just so heartwarming!

Finally, we have Park and his father.  My gosh they were hilarious. Despite their differences, Park's dad seemed to really understand when something truly mattered to Park, and he always came through in the end. 

As I mentioned above, I had trouble really getting myself into this book.  I couldn't relate to Eleanor. At all.  And I didn't really like her.  I thought she was too confusing as a main character, I didn't understand her.  But as the story unfolded, I found myself buried under the layers this book had created, and I had to get myself out.  I raced through the end of this book, and my emotions were out of whack by the end.  

I definitely recommend this book to you, especially if you were like me, and have been putting this book off for a while.  I know you'll enjoy it. 

The White Rose

Title: The White Rose (The Lone City #2) 
Author: Amy Ewing
Genre: YA Fantasy/Dystopia
Pages: 308
Purchase the book here

In this continuation of the Jewel by Amy Ewing, Violet Lasting is running from the Jewel with her two closest friends.  Ash Lockwood, former companion, is a wanted fugitive. Violet, escaped surrogate, is said to be the victim of rape. Raven Stirling, pregnant surrogate, is half-crazy.  Despite the attention the three are receiving, they manage to evade the royals and get to safety with other people who want to overthrow the royalty. Unfortunately for Violet, she has a very, very special role in this rebellion.  But will she be strong enough to prove that she is more than just a surrogate, or will she fall to the limits the royalty have set? 

---

If you read my review for the Jewel, you know that I did not enjoy it.  I only read this one because I already owned it. I was hoping that this one would get better, and I'm sorry to report that it did not fulfill these hopes.  

I mean, it wasn't bad, really.  But it just wasn't good.  And I still don't like the romance between Ash and Violet. 

The main reason I didn't like this novel was the plot.  It moved really fast.  Whenever a complication came up, the characters would get out of the problem without having to do anything. Does that make sense? Probably not... What I'm trying to say is everything was too easy.  They got out of problematic situations too easily.  

And the writing didn't get much better.  I mentioned a problem with antecedents and their pronouns in my Jewel review, and Ewing hasn't improved.  There is still confusion about which "she" is being referred to, or which persons are being included in the "they". 

Also, I felt the Raven's character was very inconsistent.  Her mind is supposed to be messed up, yet how aware she is changes so much that it's hard to keep track of when she's talking nonsense and when she's serious.  Violet, our narrator, doesn't mention if Raven is acting any differently. 

However, I must applaud Amy Ewing's ending.  It left off at a cliff hanger, and now I have to know what happens next. Siiiiiiigh. 

So yeah, I probably will be reading the third installment because- darn cliffhangers!! That being said, I'm still giving this three out of five stars, as it wasn't all that great.  

The Jewel

Title: The Jewel (The Lone City #1)
Author: Amy Ewing
Genre: YA Fantasy/Dystopia
Pages: 358
Purchase this book here

Violet Lasting is special.  She's special in a way that makes her, a lowly girl at the bottom of society, very desirable by royalty.  Royal women are not able to have their own children, and because of this, they hunt down all of the special young women in the poorest part of the country and force them into the role of "surrogate".  In other terms, they must birth the royal womens' children.  Violet Lasting has the qualities that deem her a surrogate, and after four years of training and preparation, she is being sent off to the auction, where she is to be sold off and forever stripped of her own freedom.  

---

This book had a very captivating start.  I was very intrigued by the unanswered questions it introduced and the new and different plot. However, as the story unfolded, it began to get a little uncomfortably weird. 

As you can see from the synopsis, it has a very interesting storyline.  Basically, this girl is forced into this life where she has no choices, no decisions, no freedom, and she has to give birth to this duchesses daughter.  At the beginning, I was hooked!  It went at a pretty fast pace, I wanted to know more about this girl's situation, and I thought it was very suspenseful.  But, as the story continued, things slowed down.  Like I mention, things start to get a little uncomfortable.  For example, Violet (who technically has no name outside of the number 197) has to wear a collar and a leash.  Er.... yeah.  Like, weird much? She is also required to refer to the duchess who purchased her as "mistress" and "my lady" every time she addresses the duchess.  

So things get a little weird, and the whole relationship between Violet and the Duchess is sort of abusive when you look at it.  

My other problem with this book was the romance.  I thought the idea Ewing had could have been a really cool storyline! However, a lot of the books "suspense" was built upon this forbidden romance. Personally, I feel like I would have enjoyed the book more if it didn't lean so heavily on the romance, and built Violet's forbidden friendship up more. 

My last complaint was that Ewing's antecedents didn't always agree with the pronoun.  For instance, she would use a few female names in a paragraph, and then use the pronoun "she" but it wasn't always clear which "she" Ewing was referring to.  This happened quite often, so I thought I'd mention it. 

On a happier note, the book picks up suspense at the end, and draws the reader back into the story.  I will be reading and reviewing the next book as well, mostly because I already own it.  

I could really go either way with my recommendation here.  If you're okay with some uncomfortable scenes, it's a pretty interesting and fast paced read. I give it a 3/5. 

What We Saw

Title:  What We Saw
Author:  Aaron Hartzler
Genre: Realistic Fiction/YA Romance
Pages: 321
Purchase this book here

Kate Weston lives in a small town in Iowa called Coral Sands. Kate's city is one that worships, idolizes, and treasures their basketball team, and each member of the Coral Sands varsity basketball team is a role model to all young, aspiring members of the community.  None of the team members would ever do anything wrong- right? And so the whole city can hardly believe it when on one normal afternoon during a high school lunch hour, four precious players are arrested for raping a girl at a party held earlier that week.  A party Kate had been at.  A party Kate's dreamy, fellow varsity player boyfriend had been at.  But when it comes to a choice between boyfriend and justice, Kate must choose what she feels is right.  Even at the cost of what people dread most: change.  

---

Let me just say, I loooooved this book.  What some people may not have picked up is that this novel is based off various, true events.  Oh and it's written by a guy.  So you get this awesome book filled with one little feminist trying to do what's right in a sea of people doing the wrong thing- written by a guy.  Is that not awesome? (Seriously, it gives me hope about the world.)

Ok, so let's talk about plot here.  I marked this down as YA Romance, but I feel like I should explain my reasoning for that before you write it off as a true romance novel.  Romance is not my genre, and typically, neither is Realistic Fiction, but occasionally, you get a real gem like this.   The romance in this book is not the main plot. It's more of a subplot.  The big conflict, the real problem, is the rape case.  That's what the book is centered on.  However, the romantic subplot is part of the conflict.  It's part of the emotion the reader feels. It's part of what stalls Kate's decision making process. 

So, why did I like the plot so much? Well, it really teaches an amazing, 21st century lesson: that sexual assault is never ok.  It has such a deeper meaning then what you see on the outside, which would be some cliché book about a girl and her perfect boyfriend getting caught up in some party trouble.

Anyway, this book was most certainly worth my time.  Though that's not saying much, as it only took me 24 hours to read. (It was that good.)  I definitely recommend this one, so do check it out!

Wrapping this up now....

"The closer you look, the more you see." 

It's a quote that comes up often in the book, and is seen on the front cover.  While it applies to many things within the book, it also applies to the book itself.  The closer you look at the book, the more meaning it has.  I truly loved how deep this book goes, and how much it captivated me- start to finish.