Review: To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Title:  To All The Boys I've Loved BeforeAuthor: Jenny Han 

Publisher: Simon and Schuster for Young Readers

Publishing Date: April 15 2014

Pages: 355

Genre: YA Chic Lit/ Contemporary Romance

Series: To All The Boys I've Loved Before #1

Source: Audio

  

Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her.

They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her, these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she can pour out her heart and soul and say all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control. 

I really didn't have any intentions of reading this book, but I have seemed to get along with chic lit and contemporary romances lately and heard many good things about this book and wow I am so glad I read this book. I really enjoyed this book. I have heard many good things about the book but wasn’t sure if it was for me. I finally decided to give it a try and I liked it…. a bunch. It was funny, it was sweet, it was emotional, it was fun. It was a very feel good read with just the amount of depth. I liked the characters, the writing, the story. It was just all good.

Lara Jean is 16 going on 17. Her two best friends are her older sister, Margo and Margo’s boyfriend, Josh. Margo is 18 graduated and is now heading to college in Scotland. Lara Jean and her single father must figure how to run the household and take care of 9 year old Kitty without Margo there. Lara Jean must also figure out how to find her place in the new family dynamics, she must figure out her place in the trio of best friends without Margo. Things are weird now because Margo was the piece that put it all together. Lara Jean had feelings for Josh and stuffed them away once Margo and Josh started dating… now Margo isn’t here and things happen. Like letters to the 5 boys she has loved in her life… she wrote them letters to say goodbye…kind of like I loved you and now I am over it. All the boys… including Josh got the letters. Now things are super strange between Lara Jean and Josh and her feelings resurface. Lara Jean decides to have a fake boyfriend to keep things from getting out of hand between her and Josh. Her fake boyfriend is her first crush, Peter… which also got a letter. Yes its all a bit mixed up and this is where the fun and complications really begin because of course… fake boyfriends never work out the way you think they should or will.

Where to start with this book. I'm really not sure. I loved it I really did. It was good, laughs, tears, awe moments, growth, romance, great characters. It was very well written. I feel that everything I am going to say has probably been said before. This seems to be a very popular read. For good reason. 

I really didn't think I would enjoy this book as much as I did. It was pretty awesome. What stood out to me the most was the family dynamics in this book. They changed dramatically from beginning to end of book but stayed the same in a way too. There was a ton of growth for the main character, Lara Jean, and for her family. 

Three girls, sisters, losing their other at a young age, this is never easy. This is the story about the middle daughter growing up, experiencing love, loss, and then truths about growing up. Lara Jean was a strong character for me. She was actually shy and quiet but her heart  was big, dramatic, and a little crazy. She was a sensitive soul, a dreamer. Her main issue was not living in the real world. She was her older sisters shadow and had to figure it all out one that sister shipped off to school in Scotland. 

This is the story of Lara Jean and her journey through what she felt was love in the past and finding love in the present. The story of of Lara Jean and her place in the family unit and learning the balance of taking care of others, being taken care of, and taking care of herself. This is the story of sisters, friends, an love. 

I loved Lara Jean and her character was by far the best in the book, but there were many good ones and they all had their faults, none blameless or perfect. I got along well with her kid sister and her father. The older sister, Margo, did get on my nerves some but had some redeeming qualities. 

The one character I had the hardest time with was the love interest, Peter. I liked him, I didn't like him, I loved him, I hated him, I felt for him, I wanted to slap him, he grew on me, and in the end I cared for him. 


The romance was great, well developed from past friends, to partners in crime, to friends, to more than friends, to heartbreak, then to possibly more. I didn't like the open ending but I didn't read this til I found out another book was coming out and soon. So I hope to get resolution soon. 

I did love the narrator and think that for sure she added to the story and the characters and I loved the book all the more for the wonderful voices she gave to this read. 


A great read full of all kinds of feels. Simply a lovely book.

Jenny Han (Han like Han Solo, not Han like hand)
was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. She went to college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Go Heels!) and she went on to graduate school at the New School in New York City, where she received her MFA in Writing for Children. She lives in Brooklyn.
What's in your bag? pens, Tom Ford lipstick (one red, one pink), lip balm, mini notebook, eyeglass cleanerWhat's your favorite city? New York in the fallWhere do you write? in cafes, on the subway, in other people's housesMorning or night? Night
Which Hogwarts house are you? Slytherin
Favorite books? I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.

Review: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Page

Title: Dorothy Must Die

Author: Danielle Paige

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publishing Date: April 1st, 2014

Pages: 452

Genre: YA Fantasy/Retelling

Series: Dorothy Must Die

Source: Hardback

  

I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado - taking you with it - you have no choice but to go along, you know?
Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little bluebirds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still a yellow brick road - but even that's crumbling.
What happened? Dorothy.
They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.
My name is Amy Gumm - and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.

This is a dark, interesting twist on The Wizard of Oz. I think it would make a really great Tim Burton movie. 

What made me pick this book up?

I had seen an excerpt of it at a book fair I had gone to, and it looked interesting enough. I love retellings, of almost any type. And of course, the title "Dorothy Must Die" caught my eye, curious as to why Dorothy must die of course.

What do I like about the cover?

I love the minimalist feel of it.

What made me read it?

Retelling of course. 

What did I like the most?

I liked to read the twists on everything and how evil Dorothy really is..

The least?

It ends on a cliffhanger of course

Would you read the rest of the series/Other books by this author?

I just got The Wicked Will Rise. And I can't wait to read it.

I had a bit of a hard time getting into it, but by about midpoint I couldn't put the book down. I hate that it ended the way it did, and I can't wait to read the second one. 

 

Danielle lives in NY. Before turning to YA, she worked in television & was nominated for several Daytime Emmy's. Dorothy Must Die is her first novel.

Feature Friday Where We Organize Books HAHAHA!

Feature Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel of Parajunkee and Alison of Alison Can Read!

Featured Blog:

Banosaur

Featured Question:

Question of the Week: How do you organize your books? Either at home on your bookshelves or on your reading-device, or on your bookish platform like Goodreads, Leafmarks or Booklikes. - Suggested by Unconventional Book Views

Jenn's Answer: 

Um.... I don't really. I have tried in the past and it just doesn't stay that way so I quit. I use to have two main bookshelves.... one for read and one for unread. That didn't work out so I tried series and non series.... didn't work out. So right now I have two small bookshelves and a large one. On my small ones I have one with hardbacks and one with my hubby's books. In the big one... he gets two shelves the rest are mine and they are done by read and unread. I try to keep the series together. They are also done by height... so when I have another bookshelf and they are not double stacked and piled on top of each other it will look pretty. I hope. 

I do have book scattered everywhere. downstairs living room, purse, car, and kitchen table. Everywhere but outside. They are so not organized. 

Ash's Answer: (written by Jenn.. YES I cheated) 

So,,, Ash didn't get a chance to answer. I will answer for her. She may jump in tonight and put her two cents in..She actually does  have two big cases and she does by read and unread, series and non series... by size. Why..... because we have one mind. kind of. I started the by size and she started the read and unread... and well by series just always made sense. WE are both unorganized creatures though.... I am just a tad bit better... but not really... so both our shelves look really messy. Organizing book takes time away from reading books. Plus... the two year old keep us and I mean really her mostly very very busy. 

Delightful Discoveries #102

Delightful Discoveries are books that I have discovered recently... old, new, just released... from blogs, Goodreads, libraries, friends, or bookstores. 

Shackled by Tom Leveen

  

From author Tom Leveen comes a taut, suspenseful novel about a girl’s abduction that leaves her best friend emotionally paralyzed, until a chance encounter points her toward the truth…and a terrifying new danger.

Sixteen-year-old Pelly has a master plan. After years of therapy, medication, and even a stint in a mental hospital, she’s finally ready to re-enter the world of the living. Pelly has been suffering from severe panic attacks ever since her best friend, Tara, disappeared from a mall six years ago.

And her plan seems to be working, until an unkempt girl accompanied by an older man walks into the coffee shop where she works. Pelly thinks she’s seen a ghost, until the girl mouths “help me” on the way out, and Pelly knows she’s just seen Tara.

Too shocked to do anything, Pelly helplessly watches Tara slip away again as she steels herself against a renewed spiral of crippling anxiety. But rather than being overcome by anxiety, Pelly feels more energized than she has in years. Determined to track down enough evidence to force the police to reopen Tara’s file, Pelly’s master plan takes a turn for the dangerous.

Pelly decides she cannot be shackled by her past—and the anxiety, fear, and grief that comes with it—any longer if she wants to save Tara. But in seeking answers through whatever means necessary, she’ll come face-to-face with true evil. And not all the shackles are in her head...

Stranded bu Melinda Braun 

In the tradition of 127 Hours and The Edge, a fascinating and suspenseful novel about a group of teens battling for their lives against the most violent villain in history—Mother Nature.

It’s human instinct to survive…but Mother Nature has other plans.

Plagued with guilt after surviving the car accident that took her sister’s life, Emma ventures into the rugged and mysterious wilderness of the Boundary Waters in search of some much needed peace. But when a freak windstorm kills her guide, Emma and a handful of other campers are forced to fend for themselves. Lost, hungry, and exhausted, the small group must rely on their survival instincts as they travel through the forest towards Lake Superior.

But the Boundary Waters is vast and unpredictable, and as the days drag on, it becomes clear that the group is no match for what Mother Nature has in store—and time is running out.

As they continue to battle the elements, Emma realizes that nature isn’t her only threat: there’s one camper who will do whatever it takes to make it out of the Boundary Waters alive. Even if he’s the only one…

With ripped-from-the-headlines drama, this stirring story of heroism and survival will have you at the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Inhereitance of Ashes
by Leah Bobet

The strange war down south—with its rumors of gods and monsters—is over. And while sixteen-year-old Hallie and her sister wait to see who will return from the distant battlefield, they struggle to maintain their family farm.

When Hallie hires a veteran to help them, the war comes home in ways no one could have imagined, and soon Hallie is taking dangerous risks—and keeping desperate secrets. But even as she slowly learns more about the war and the men who fought it, ugly truths about Hallie’s own family are emerging. And while monsters and armies are converging on the small farm, the greatest threat to her home may be Hallie herself.

Willful Machines by Tim Floreen 

  
In the near future, scientists create what may be a new form of life: an artificial human named Charlotte. All goes well until Charlotte escapes, transfers her consciousness to the Internet, and begins terrorizing the American public.

Charlotte's attacks have everyone on high alert—everyone except Lee Fisher, the closeted son of the US president. Lee has other things to worry about, like keeping his Secret Service detail from finding out about his crush on Nico, the eccentric, Shakespeare-obsessed new boy at school. And keeping Nico from finding out about his recent suicide attempt. And keeping himself from freaking out about all his secrets.

But when the attacks start happening at his school, Lee realizes he's Charlotte’s next target. Even worse, Nico may be part of Charlotte’s plan too.

As Lee races to save himself, uncover Charlotte’s plan, and figure out if he can trust Nico, he comes to a whole new understanding of what it means to be alive ... and what makes life worth living.

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

10:00 a.m.

The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.

The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03

The auditorium doors won't open.

10:05

Someone starts shooting.

Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.

Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Author: Ransom Riggs

Publisher: Quirk Books

Publishing Date: June 7th 2011

Pages: 356

Genre: YA Paranormal, Parallel Universe

Series: Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children

Source: Paperback

  

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.
A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.
A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography.

This is a pretty super awesome, kinda creepy, mind bending supernatural book that has lots of humor in it as well. 

What made me pick this book up?

Honestly I've been seeing this book for a long time before I finally picked up. I thought the cover looked interesting and creepy. As you might be able to tell, I like creepy things. 

What do I like about the cover?

Pretty much everything. It definitely makes you pick up the book and wonder what it's about. 

What made me read it?

The cover, plus I saw that there was pictures in it and that was really cool. I was just curious what it was about. 

What did I like the most?

The story was pretty awesome, I also really liked reading about the kids powers and seeing all the pictures in it.

The least?

It was a little slow until about a third of the way through, then it picked up

Would you read the rest of the series/Other books by this author?
I tried reading the second one and couldn't get into it. I want to read it, just not in a hurry to try again. 

I ended up really enjoying this book and it kinda ends on a cliffhanger. 

I grew up in Florida, went to Kenyon College in Ohio, then film school at USC in LA, where I still live. I write books and screenplays, blog daily for mentalfloss.com, and make short films.