Reviews written by a reader

a review by Somekindofreader

Dakota Divided by Josh Clark is one of the most refreshing YA books I've read in a long time. Dakota Lester is a social misfit who really wants to fit in. Obsessed with Addie Wilkins, the hottest girl in school, and trying to keep his cheating father out of his life, Dakota gets himself into one hilarious mishap after another when Infinity High School's biggest bully decides to make Dakota his pet project. This a great book about love, friendship, and learning how to forgive. The writing is funny, the story is engaging, and the plot is relevant. If you like books that can make you laugh and cry at the same time, this one's for you. Dakota Divided gets two thumbs way up!

a review by Joey B

I really liked Dakota Divided. Not only is it funny, but it is the perfect snapshot of the ups and downs of being a teenager. Dakota's language and delivery is what makes the book so funny, and the way it takes on tough issues like bullying and being the son of a deadbeat dad while still being fun and engaging is really cool. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a quick and funny read. I say five stars.

a review by G.Clyde

I bought this book back in February when Alana and I went to the "Breathless Reads" tour. Let me start by saying that Beth Revis is such a sweet person, and hysterical to boot! I really could not stop laughing every time it was her turn to ask a question, and I couldn't wait till it was her turn to answer. Anyway..on to the book, the reason I'm here. I really liked the cover of the book and that's what made me buy it initially. While waiting on line to purchase it I read the summary and thought wow, that's new. The book was certainly nothing like I have ever read before, and I was happy to be reading something a little different than my usual, vampires, demons, angels, mer-people etc. While there was a bit of a romance between Elder and Amy, I was upset that it wasn't played out quite as much as I had hoped. When we first come across Elder in the book, all I could think of is...Jeez, I wish he found my frozen body! The book is full of interesting and mysterious characters, and I felt a quick attachment to many of them...and hate too, as you will when you read the book. The map on the inside of the dust jacket is a great visual aid while reading the book, just so you can understand the levels and different areas, so definitely utilize that. All in all I would certainly recommend this book. There is a bit of sex in it, so maybe not too good for younger people, 14 and up I'd say. The only bad thing I can say about the book is that the romance wasn't so romantic..if you can understand that. But I guess given the circumstances, you wouldn't wanna be romantic either. Otherwise, the book was GREAT, read it! It out of this universe...yea, that was corny. :)

a review by kayleahNichole

Nightshade??? Yess!!

I practically fell in love with Nightshade! It was absolutely AMAZINGG!!!!! Calla is always doing something for otyhers. Its kind of obvious that her and Ren arent very into eachother at the beginning. Then it almost seems as if they do. Is it destiny playing a part?? Until she see's the boy she saved, at her school. he is a new student and when she thinks things cant get any worse. They do.

a review by KayleahNichole

O my goodness. North of Beautiful is my Inspiration!!

I never thought i'd rteally ever see true beauty in a book. It makes you realize that no matter what you look like on the outside. There is always going to be someone who doesnt look at whats on the outside. But looks at whats on the inside. Terra is A gorgeous person. Until you look at her face. She has a birth mark that covers her whole right side. She is always covering it with tons of make-up so people dont stare. Until she meets Jacob. Jacob has a cleft lip, chinese, and goth. He shows Terra the true meaning of "Beautiful."

a review by Lindz

After reading the novel, I thought it was very interesting. The novel itself is an adventerous sci-fi plotline with a twist of romance. It also is very futurtistic, even though in the story the dont know if the world has "ended" yet. Overall, this book was a good read and i woulfd roecommend it to anyone with an interest in this genre. :)

a review by alee

I loved this book, even though I don't usually read realistic fiction. What I liked most about the book was it was easy to relate to. The beginning of the book talks about the main character, Auden, who is very dedicated to her school and doesn't have many friends because of that. I liked auden the most because she was easy to relate. I think Auden was the perfect example of what teenage girls feel like sometimes which that they have to be perfect. I think as the book goes on, she begin to realize she has to be perfect, and in a way she shes that she should enjoy herself before college. By the end of the book she changes alot and becomes more herself without worrying about who her parents want her to be. I think the changes and realization she had from big events that happened made the book more relatable.

It was also just a fun book to read. It was fun because at first when Auden arrives in her father new town she doesn't know anyone, seeing how she interacted with the other girls around her funny because all of the girls were interested make up and girly stuff, while Auden is more interested preparing for college.

Another thing I liked about the book was the love story of it. It's one of the things I like about Sarah Dessens novels. She includes a love story, but the book isn't completely based on it. I think when meets Eli she changes a little bit. I think eli plays a large role in how Auden realizes everything she missed out on. Through out the book he shows her alot of things she missed in her high school years, and they share those experiences. I think Auden and Eli liked each other so much because they have so much in common but are so different at the same time. they both have insomnia and spend many nights together and they both are running away from their problems. But Auden is very dedicated to school and what people think while Eli doesn't care much about college and doesn't care about what people think and is very open about everything.

this book was great because it really did seem to reflect on alot of issues teenage girls have. it was also a great book because in only a few words it was funny, relatable and sweet.

a review by buttonsandbows

Sorry, but I feel Ms. Aidinoff's story of Eden is horrible. To depict God as a big ol' meanie who is controlling, unthoughtful, unloving and is given to temper tantrums - that's just WRONG!!
And having the Serpent somehow becoming a tender lover for Eve - outrageous...
She also seems to show Adam as rather a sweet but dopey guy. I don't like it.

It's great to have imagination and create reading material - but there ought to be a point where a person needs to stop and think about the readers - what will they think? How will my writing be viewed? Do I even CARE what they think?

So, if she got the idea for this in church, I don't know - maybe she needs to spend more time there...

Thanks..

a review by Courtney

This is a hard book review to write because there were some things I just loved about this story and other things that drove me crazy!! To sum up what goes on in this story; Anna is forced to spend her senior year at a school in Paris for Americans. She is not thrilled to leave behind her best friend or her possible boyfriend. She soon begins to love Paris though when she meets a couple of new friends and a hunky English American St.Clair. Unfortunately he has a girlfriend though so she only idolizes him from a far!

What I liked about Anna and the French Kiss; I liked the characters and the plot a lot!! Anna was a lovable character and so were all her friend she made in Paris. They reminded me of the group of friends I always hung out with in high school and we did everything together! Very genuine and believable.

The plot was pretty unique and I although I could guess the ending pretty much from the beginning I never knew what was going to happen next. It had a very satisfying ending which is always a make-or-break for me and this ending sold the book!

What I didn't like about it; I did not like the annoying romantic tension. Usually that doesn't bother me but in this book it did. I was getting a bit frustrated with the way things were progressing SO SLOWLY!!

CONTENT ALERT: This is more of a PG-13 book for me!! There was no sex scenes but sometimes the language was pure filthy, for example there was a few cuss words and the word slut was used repeatedly! It didn't really bother me a whole lot but I definitely wouldn't want my young teenager reading it.

I will be looking to see what else Stephanie Perkins wrote because even though I was annoyed at times, this really was one of a few contemporary books I actually enjoyed!

a review by Angel Fish

After leaving an especially tempting cliffhanger in The Luxe, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Rumours, and after reading the first page I was instantly devoured into the world of Elizabeth and Diana Holland, the Schoonmakers, and the Hayes. The switch of character thoughts between chapters was exciting for me, and left me hungering for what might come in the next, and wishing for my favorite two characters and romance to pop up (Diana and Henry, respectively.) I love Anna Godbersen's unique style, introducing her novels with a peek into the future, leaving a delicate hook for us readers and fans. Not only are her books great and detailed historical fictions, they are also representative of the situations often found in the upper grades-popularity and reputation, etc. The end of this book was very sad, unlike the previous, and though it certainly caused a little burr in my skin, I'm very excited to get my hands on Envy, especially since Diana seems to be the main protagonist in this one. A fast and intense read, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction especially and loves intrigue, rumours, and most importantly...secrets.

a review by Angel Fish

Wither, a somewhat unique novel set in the future of the United States, is about a girl named Rhine Ellery who lives in a world where technicalities with experimenting have led to girls mysteriously dying at the age of 20 and men at age 25. Rhine, who's sixteen, scrambles to survive in a neighborhood in Manhattan, where her twin brother and herself struggle to make ends meet by taking various factory jobs. When applying for another occupation, she is surprised to find that the people awaiting her are not business owners, but Gatherers, people employed to capture girls and sell them to House Governors so as to produce children and repopulate the world. Rhine is sent to live with a House Governor named Linden, who Rhine vows to be exacted revenge on, and while occupying the glorious mansions and its wide arrange of lush gardens, she spends her days looking for escape back to her brother. She spends her days with two other girls, who she calls her sister wives: Jenna, a girl of eighteen who is growing close to her dying date, and Cecily, a mere child at age 13. But escape is more complicated than Rhine could ever imagine. Vaughn, the cruel housemaster who punishes the people that disobey him easily, yet eager to find the antidote for the mysterious illness that has touched his children (he is a First Generation, meaning he still grows over the age of 25,) manipulates the household of this mansion so carefully that Rhine doesn't know who is to trust and who is faithful. When she meets the handsome servant Gabriel, she immediately accepts him as trustworthy. But will this harmless endeavor grow to something extremely dangerous?

Lauren DeStefano successfully creates an intricate balance of character development that blends raw human emotion with a deeper layer of personalities that are not so different from the way we are today. Her writing is pure and original, her touches of sensory detail almost poetic to the ears. Although I wouldn't call this one of my favorite books of all time, Wither came close to reaching that list. The premise is interesting and partly creative ( I kept comparing it to The Hunger Games, and I could find many similarities) but the way she pulls it off is totally different and extremely stylized and thoughtful compared to to other dystopian science fiction reads. The end left me at a cliffhanger but satisfied me for the time being. I will be waiting eagerly for the Chemical Garden Trilogy's next book!

a review by G.Clyde

After a tweet from Richelle Mead saying she read the book and enjoyed it, I decided I would give it a shot as well. When I picked it up I saw that it said on the cover "For fans of The Hunger Games" since the Hunger Games is my favorite book this filled me with excitement. However; like most times when people recommend certain books for Hunger Games fans I found it was nothing like the Hunger Games. I liked the book, I liked it a lot, but I didn't necessarily see how you could compare the two. While reading it I was scared, I kept expecting a freak to pop out and try to tear me to pieces. I was scared of Stalker and his wolf pack. Usually in Dystopian books there is a love triangle in which I can't figure out who I would choose and no matter who gets chosen I want to cry for the other one, Deuce knows who she wants, and even though there is another man involved, she doesn't get confused by her love for one or the other. I'm not sure if I just wasn't paying attention or if it really wasn't brought up until the end, but when the library book in the end said "Property of NY library" a chill ran down my spine. So that's what New York had come to? A freak infested wasteland? It freaked me out, I loved it! I would recommend this book and I can't wait for #2!

a review by G.Clyde

I decided to read this book because it was on the Breathless Reads tour. When I went to the NYC stop I had never heard of this book (if I did I would have boughten it) I was a little iffy about reading it regardless of how interesting it looked because the love interests' name was Ethan...that's my brothers name and reading about loving someone with that name gives me the willies. I read it anyway, and WOW I love love love this book! I feel immensely stupid for not buying it and being able to get it signed when I was at a signing with Kirsten back in November. I loved the concept of reincarnation and finding someone over different lifetimes, can you imagine how difficult that must be? I don't believe there are many books like this out there, at least none that i've read. I liked how it was romantic, but not over the top in cheesiness, that's something I always look for in a book that has romance. I would certainly absolutely recommend this book! Buy it, and if she is coming to a town near you..get it signed! I am excited that there will be another book. I really loved the ending too, and by ending I mean the last paragraph of the book, just enough cliff hanger to make you want more, but enough to leave you satisfied! MUST READ THIS BOOK!

a review by G.Clyde

I knew straight out I was going to enjoy this book, I'm on a werewolf kick as of late, so when I finally got the book from the library (yes, I still go to that ancient place where they let you rent books for 2 weeks) I was excited and ready to start...I meant out to just read the first chapter before bed, which I usually do just to get started out, and before I knew it, it was getting later and I was way beyond the first chapter. I was hooked right from he beginning and I could not put it down. Needless to say, I really enjoyed this book, and though there is a romance in it, I hope that in the second one there is even more. Even though the wolves in the story shift between wolf and human quite often, I really loved how they still has wolf mannerisms in human form, particularly when they rubbed cheeks as a sign of affection, (if you've ever seen videos of real wolves doing this...it's adorable!!). I so look forward to the second one entitled: Trial By Fire which I believe is due out in June. A definite must read! I will definitely go off to buy this one! I generally rent books first, and then buy them if I dub them worthy...I KNOW this will look lovely on my shelf! :)

a review by G.Clyde

I really enjoy this book. It's an original idea, I've never read anything like it. I never would have thought I would enjoy a romance book about zombies, I'm not usually a zombie lover, but this book is the exception. You will enjoy this book and become attached to the characters. The second one is just as good.