Secrets by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur

Source: Publisher
Reputation, Reputation, Reputation.
You're a student at the most prestigious university in the country, and you've been tapped for the most elite social club. You've made it!
Now Don't Blow It!
Callie Andrews triumphed during her first semester at Harvard: she made incomparable friends, found the perfect boyfriend, and received invitations to the most exclusive secret societies. But she may have ruined every-thing with one ill-fated night. Now she's keeping secrets from everyone, including—
Clint the upperclassman who's too good to be true
Vanessa the best friend turned backstabber
Gregory the guy who's a total(ly hot) mistake
and Lexi the social queen who wants to bring Callie down.
But Callie didn't get into Harvard by giving up, and she isn't about to now. Besides, she's not the only one with something to hide. . . .
I really enjoyed The Ivy and was so excited to read Secrets. I love guilty reads like Gossip Girl and this series definitely falls under that. It is a fairly light read that is fun and realistic, with just a bit of depth.

I love each of the characters even though a few are evil. the Callie is a very sweet character that you can't help rooting for, even though she doesn't do the the best thing most of the time, but seriously who doesn't make mistakes at times. Clint seems too perfect for a college boy and that makes me not want him at all. I love Gregory so much and find him sweet most of the time. I love her roommates so much and their unique personalities. I feel that the plot was better developed than The Ivy. There are so many secrets and scandals in this book that you will make you be wrapped up into every single plot line. I think that this story is very original, not many other Young Adult Series are about characters in college, which is exciting and realistic. I loved that the book faced issues that a lot of teens and even adults are facing it. The book addressed it at the end in a realistic, but amazing way. I think that this book is quick and addicting. I would recommend this book to fans of Pretty Little Liars, Privates, and Gossip Girl. Kunze and Onur make a great duo and I can't wait to read more from them in the future.

What Harry Potter means to me...

I saw this on Tumblr and loved it. It made me happy and so sad at the same time
The Harry Potter Series has and probably will also have a special part in my heart. I have read these books over and over for thirteen years, and while I am excited for the end of the movies series. I also know that it is kind of an end of my childhood in a way. After part two, there sadly won't be anymore new books or movies, which is completely depressing and with only 46 more days till the last one, it seems to finally be so close that I am both excited and mournful. I want to see the end, but at the same time, I don't want an ending. I am worried that it won't be as good as the books.
Harry Potter ignited my love for reading. I will always treasure getting the books for the first time and cracking them open over and over. I fall into Rowling's world every time and I never want it to end. At the same time I know that it won't Every book is still as magical for me as the first time that I read it. Even though I know the ending and the fate for everyone. I plan to re-read all of them by July 15th, which is definitely doable. My record is reading all seven books in 10 days. Anyways, what is your favorite part of Harry Potter? If you haven't read them, I challenge you to read them now...

Now for some Dumbledore wisdom... "You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be." From the Goblet of Fire, if you were wondering.

Currently, I am...

Stealing this list from Jordyn of Ten Cent Notes and Khy from Frenetic Reader. I like list... so here it is.
Current Book: Tempest Rising by Tracey Deebs. Not that far into it, but liking it.
Current Playlist: Disney channel on Pandora. Trust me, it is lovely.
Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: Checking to see where my laptop is. It should be here before noon on June 1st. My other one is the amount of sparkling water that I drink.
Current Favorite Show: Doctor Who. If you have a working TARDIS... contact me. =) Buffy is my second favorite. I would love to be a slayer.
Current Wishlist: For my laptop to be here and my book Sisters to be written.
Current Needs: A unicorn. In all seriousness, winning the lotto would solve a lot of my issues. Also for my mom to get better. It being July 15th would be epic.
Current Bane of My Existence: The cost of college. I don't think that this needs explanation. Also the suckage of my blood work and that I haven't lost any weight in almost three weeks.

In My Mailbox (Week of May 29th)

For Review:

Ordinary Beauty by Laura Wiess
Lauded by critics and authors for her heartbreakingly real heroines, Laura Wiess brings readers another devastating tale of betrayal and redemption rich with the raw emotion that made Such a Pretty Girl a classic.
How can you make someone love you when they won’t?
And what if that person happens to be your mother?
Sayre Bellavia grew up knowing she was a mistake: unplanned and unwanted. At five months shy of eighteen, she’s become an expert in loneliness, heartache, and neglect. Her whole life she’s been cursed, used, and left behind. Swallowed a thousand tears and ignored a thousand deliberate cruelties. Sayre’s stuck by her mother through hell, tried to help her, be near her, be important to her even as her mother slipped away into a violent haze of addiction, destroying the only chance Sayre ever had for a real family.
Now her mother is lying in a hospital bed, near death, ravaged by her own destructive behavior. And as Sayre fights her way to her mother’s bedside, she is terrified but determined to get the answer to a question no one should ever have to ask: Did my mother ever really love me? And what will Sayre do if the answer is yes?
I adored her other books. So excited to read this one.

Bought:

Luna by Julie Anne Peters

For years, Regan's brother Liam has been nursing a secret. By day, he is Liam, a passably typical boy of his age; at night, he transforms himself into Luna, his true, female self. Regan loves and supports her brother and she keeps his Liam/Luna secret. Things change, though, when Luna decides to emerge from her cocoon. She begins dressing like a girl in public; first at the mall; then at school; then at home. Regan worries that her brother's transgender identity is threatening her own slippery hold on normalcy. This serious, powerful teen novel was a National Book Award finalist for Young People's Literature.

This book sound really interesting.

Keeping you a Secret by Julie Anne Peters

As she begins a very tough last semester of high school, Holland finds herself puzzled about her future and intrigued by a transfer student who wants to start a lesbigay club at school.
Peters is coming to Seattle next week. I really liked this book when I read it.

But I Love Him by Amanda Grace

Tonight was so much worse than anything before it. Tonight he didn't stop after the first slap.
At the beginning of senior year, Ann was a smiling, straight-A student and track star with friends and a future. Then she met a haunted young man named Connor. Only she can heal his emotional scars; only he could make her feel so loved — and needed. Ann can't recall the pivotal moment it all changed, when she surrendered everything to be with him, but by graduation, her life has become a dangerous high wire act. Just one mistake could trigger Connor's rage, a senseless storm of cruel words and violence damaging everything — and everyone — in its path.
This evocative slideshow of flashbacks reveals a heartbreaking story of love gone terribly wrong.
I have already read this book and it was epic.

My Not-So-Still Life by Liz Gallagher
Vanessa is wise beyond her years. She's never really fit in at school, where all the kids act and dress the same. She's an artist who expresses her talent in the wacky colors she dyes her hair, her makeup and clothes. She's working on her biggest art project, and counting the days until she's grown up and can really start living. That adult world seems closer when Vanessa gets her dream job at the art supply store, Palette, where she worships the couple who runs it, Oscar and Maye. And she's drawn to a mysterious guy named James, who leads her into new, sometimes risky situations. Is she ready for this world, or not
Really excited for this book. I loved her last books.

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Source: Bought
Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.
That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.
Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.
But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?
Demonglass starts right after Hex Hall ended. There was just as much action and humor as Hex Hall had. Seriously I loved every moment of this book. Sophie seems a bit different in this book, but not in a bad way. It is like she has grown up a bit and gained some confidence in what has happened in the last book. I love Cal. He is so smart and selfless and he would do anything for love. While Archer's character seemed somewhat arrogant and over the top at times. It seemed overly dramatic, whenever he appeared. I definitely preferred Cal, over Archer. Hawkins' characters are complex and not exactly as they seem, which makes them even more believable. Hawkins' writing is exciting and enjoyable. Demonglass is a quick read, as is the prequel Hex Hall. If you want a book with a hint of romance, mystery, humor and paranormal combined in one book with lovable characters and a gripping plot. This is the perfect series for you.

Abandon by Meg Cabot

Source: Gift
New from #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot, a dark, fantastical story about this world . . . and the underworld.
Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.
But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.
Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.
But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.
Abandon was all about setting up a series perfectly for the next few books. As result, Abandon dragged a few times and the story wasn't that confusing, even though it was constantly going back and forth between the past and the present. I didn't like that most of the story was hinted too and then later explained. It made it hard to understand Pierce at times and I didn't feel liked I connected to her. I also never felt like the climax completely developed. John was really fascinating, dark, confusing, and secretive, even with all of this, I found him to be confusing, but rather intriguing. I think that there is a lot of originality in Abandon and I am excited to see what Cabot will write next. I definitely enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to Underworld.

Waiting on Wednesday (102)

Title: The Girl in the Steel Corset
Author: Kady Cross
Publisher: Harlquin Teen
Release Date: May 24th, 2011
In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the "thing" inside her.
When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch….
Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.
Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help—and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.
But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on—even if it seems no one believes her.
This book came out yesterday, but it sounds amazing. I love the cover too.

Trailer Tuesday (33)

Hereafer by Tara Hudson sounds amazing and I have only heard great things about it.

The Sweetheart of Prosper County by Jill S. Alexander

Source: Author
Almost-15-year-old Austin Gray is tired of standing at the curb and watching the parade pass her by. Literally. She decides this is the year she’ll ride on the hood of a shiny pickup truck in the annual parade, waving to the crowd and finally showing the town bully that she’s got what it takes to be the Sweetheart of Prosper County.
But far from simply being a beauty contest, becoming Sweetheart involves participation in the Future Farmers of America (FFA), raising an animal, and hunting or fishing. Austin will do almost anything to become Sweetheart, and has the support of her oldest friend, Maribel, her new FFA friends (including the reigning Sweetheart, and a quiet, cute cowboy), an evangelical Elvis impersonator, a mysterious Cajun outcast, and a rooster named Charles Dickens. If only her momma would stop overprotecting her, and start letting Austin live her own life. But Austin can’t move on until Momma moves on, too—and lets the grief of losing Austin’s daddy several years before out into the open.
Here is a bighearted story that will leave readers agreeing with Austin that sometimes, it’s not what you ride, it’s how you roll.
This book was absolutely adorable. Alexander captured the charm of Prosper County perfectly and had outstanding characters shine with such personality and spirit. Austin wants to fit in and thinks that FFA will help her find her place. Charles Dickens the Rooster had so much personality and jumped right off the page. Maribel is Austin's best friend and she is so hardworking and sweet. Sundi and Josh were great new friends to Austin and I liked their adoration for FFA and that they had more to their life then school and friends. Lewis was so funny and I loved the humor from being an Elvis Performance Artist. The plot of this book was adorable and I was engaged as I was reading this book. I read this book rather quickly. Alexander's writing was quirky fun and not like other contemporary books. I recommend this book to fans of Dairy Queen series by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. It was a fun, sweet, and overall adorable book.

Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer

Source: Borrowed
Every ghost has a story to tell.
The last place Tansy Piper wants to be is stuck in Cedar Canyon, Texas, in the middle of nowhere, with a bunch of small-town kids. But when her mother decides to move to the desolate West Texas town, Tansy has no choice but to go along. Once there, Tansy is immediately drawn to the turret of their rickety old house, a place she soon learns has a disturbing history. But it's the strange artifacts she finds in the cellar—a pocket watch, a journal of poetry, and a tiny crystal—that have the most chilling impact on her.
Tansy soon finds that through the lens of her camera, she can become part of a surreal black-and-white world where her life is intertwined with that of mysterious, troubled Henry, who lived in the same house and died decades earlier. It seems their lives are linked by fate and the artifacts she found, but as Tansy begins spending more and more time in the past, her present world starts to fade away. Tansy must untangle herself from Henry's dangerous reality—before she loses touch with her own life forever.

I admired Tansy's dedication to her grandfather and I liked that she was spirited. I just felt that she isolated herself from anyone and made herself the outsider. Even though she had a fear of being hurt, I felt that it wasn't very realistic at times. I really liked Bethyl Anne, she was very sure of herself. Even though she was younger, I felt that she was more mature then Tansy. Tate was a really sweet boy, but I don't feel that he was developed enough for me to have a good impression of him. This book was an original ghost story. I really enjoyed the insight to the past and that there was such rich detail in each scene. The pacing of the story was extremely slow and I wish that it didn't drag as much as it did. I liked that there was a hint of mystery and paranormal, but not to over powering. Archer's writing was beautiful, but I wish that the pacing was better and that I could relate to the character more, but the originality made it worth a read.