Book Review: Nash by Jay Crownover

Saint Ford has worked hard to achieve her childhood dream of becoming of nurse. Focused on her work and devoted to her patients, there’s no room for love. She doesn’t need a guy making waves in her calm, serene life—especially when he’s the unforgettable hottie who nearly destroyed her in high school. Dark, brooding Nash Donovan might not remember her or the terrible pain he caused. But he turned her world upside down… and now he’s trying to do it again.

Saint has no idea that Nash isn’t the cocky player he once was. Uncovering a devastating family secret has rocked his world, and now he’s struggling to figure out his future. He can’t be distracted by the pretty nurse he seems to meet everywhere. Still, he can’t ignore the sparks that fly between them —or how she seems so desperate to get away from him. But the funny, sweet, and drop-dead gorgeous Saint is far too amazing to give up on—especially since she’s the only thing in his life that seems to make sense.

When Nash discovers the truth about their past, he realizes he may have lost her heart before he could even fight for it. Now, Saint has to decide: is Nash worth risking herself for all over again?

My Review:

So besides Jet, I think Nash ended up being my favorite in this series. I absolutely love the story of Saint and Nash. Oh I love it so much. By this book, I knew that I was completely sold on this series. Done. Over. I’m a huge fan and I’m ready to just lay down my heart to the Marked Men. And then here’s Nash to just make me fall massively in love with him.

Saint isn’t as much my favorite as Nash but I can see her, I can relate to her. Simple words said when she was in high school have had an affect on her for her entire life. Her entire life! That’s incredible. But it feels very very real. Words have an insane power over us, both good and bad. Sometimes, I think, especially the bad. Which is what happens to Saint, and what makes it worse, those words are said by none other than Nash himself.

Then you have Nash, who is revealed to be the son of the man he thought was his uncle his entire life. And as he’s finding out this incredible truth, which feels like a punch in the gut because Nash already saw him as a father figure and feels betrayed, he also finds out the guy is dying. Legit dying. And it brings a lot of things into perspective. After drinking himself into a stupor and then being “saved” by Saint…the two of them just keep running into each other. Its magnetic. They’re obviously meant to be together.

I think the best part of this book, to me at least, is the way they are brought together. How their insecurities and the drama going on in their lives and both of their tendencies to be scared at times gets in the way but they just keep getting pulled back together. They have an incredibly beautiful romance and I love Nash from page one to the very last page of this series. Because even as his world is being turned upside down and he finds out he has a father, and he has to take over Marked and open up a whole new shop, and all of this, he just takes it. He goes with it in the best way he can and he makes it work. And he falls in love along the way.

Only book four and the feels are real…stay tuned for books five and six…

Rating:

5 out of 5 Stars

Happy Release Day: “Not After Everything” and Michelle Levy Spotlight, Review and Giveaway!

August 4, 2015August 4, 2015Leave a comment

So I’m sort of doing this on my own today, click but that’s because I’m so excited for the release of this book today and I’m so excited for Michelle and I want to implore all of you to grab this book and read it! We’re going to learn more about the super awesome Michelle Levy, her brand new, incredible book and you’ll even have a chance to get your hands on a copy too!

So let’s get started!

Meet Michelle Levy

Michelle Levy originally is from Denver, CO and is now a resident of our Los Angeles, CA. She has worked as a casting director for both movies and television in the past. She has a Great Dane named Magnus and a cat named Max and can sing and play piano but won’t do it so don’t ask ;) Not After Everything is her debut novel.

You Can Find Her At:

Her Website / Her Twitter / Her GoodReads / Her Facebook / Her Instagram

About Not After Everything

Tyler has a football scholarship to Stanford, a hot girlfriend, and a reliable army of friends to party with. Then his mom kills herself. And Tyler lets it all go. Now he needs to dodge what his dad is offering (verbal tirades and abuse) and earn what his dad isn’t (money). Tyler finds a job that crashes him into Jordyn, his former childhood friend turned angry-loner goth-girl. She brings Tyler an unexpected reprieve from the never-ending pity party his life has become. How could he not fall for her? But with his dad more brutally unpredictable than ever, Tyler knows he can’t risk bringing Jordyn too deeply into the chaos. So when violence rocks his world again, will it be Jordyn who shows him the way to a hopeful future? Or after everything, will Tyler have to find it in himself?

Find Her Book at Your Local Bookstore or the Following Links:

GoodReads / Barnes and Noble / Book Depository / iBooks / Amazon

My Review

I am so so so in love with this book. So in love with this book. I met Michelle over a year ago at a book event for, I think, Jessica Brody. I’m pretty sure. And I just adore her. She’s a lover of books and she’s insanely encouraging and I was excited to learn about her debut novel. She was a moderator at the Ontario Teen Book Fest this past March and she slipped an ARC my way. Because she’s the most amazing person in the entire world. I knew immediately I had to go home and read it. And I did. And I devoured it.

I’ve seen comparisons to The Spectacular Now and to Eleanor and Park. I definitely agree with those. If you like either of those books, definitely read Michelle’s books. You’re going to love her book if you loved those books. But Michelle’s book stands on its own and I loved it from the first page to the very last. The two main characters are just incredible. Tyler and Jordyn are as different can be, or at least they seem so on the outside. Tyler is the football guy, the one who is supposed to have it all, until its revealed he really has nothing. Jordyn has the angry goth girl look going on but she has a loving family, she has direction, and she’s incredibly caring and loyal. When the two of them find their way to each other…its just beautiful. Its beautiful and heartbreaking and perfect.

Michelle has a way of creating her characters that just blows my mind. They’re both so real and familiar and yet different and out of reach at the same time, and its a great balance. You feel for both of them, you feel connected to both of them, but you’re frantically turning the pages in order to learn more, to find out what happens to them because she makes you care about them right away and I just love it. They’re memorable and I read this book MONTHS ago. I still remember how both of them made me feel and what I still feel for this book.

Then you get down to the story. Michelle is an incredibly beautiful writer and her prose is just fantastic but she also has a way of speaking to you as if you’re really that person, as if you’re a friend that Tyler is confiding in. I felt like I was right back in high school with him, and Jordyn, and all the feelings and struggles they both go through felt like my own high school romance all over again. She makes it feel real and genuine but its also unique as hell. There are some unexpected twists and turns and it doesn’t turn out at all the way I had expected it to. I had an idea of where things were heading and when they took a 180 and ended up in a completely different direction, I had to sort of pause for a moment. How on earth had that happened? But it was the exact perfect ending for this book and I applaud Michelle for writing an incredibly novel from the first to last pages.

The Giveaway!

Its SUPER easy. You have until August 8th to repost this image on Instagram with the hashtag #NerdGirlMichelleLevyGiveaway. The winner will win an ecopy (Kindle, Nook, etc) of Michelle’s Not After Everything! Make sure to tag me as well!

* * * * *

Congratulations Michelle on your debut novel! I am so insanely excited for you and I wish you all the best for you and your beautiful beautiful book!

Book Review: Rome by Jay Crownover

August 4, 2015August 4, 2015Leave a comment

Genre:

New Adult, unhealthy Contemporary, online Romance

Pages:

387 pages

Part of a Series?:

Book #3 in The Marked Men Series

Release Date:

January 7th, 2014

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Fun and fearless, Cora Lewis knows how to keep her tattooed “bad boy” friends at the Marked in line. But beneath all that flash and sass is a broken heart. Cora won’t let herself get burned again. She’s waiting to fall in love with the perfect man—a baggage-free, drama-free guy ready for commitment. Then she meets Rome Archer.

Rome Archer is as far from perfect as a man can be. He’s stubborn, rigid, and bossy. And he’s returned from his final tour of duty more than a little broken. Rome’s used to filling many roles: big brother, doting son, supersoldier—but none of those fit anymore. Now he’s just a man trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life while keeping the dark demons of war and loss at bay. He would have been glad to suffer through it alone, until Cora comes sweeping into his life and becomes a blinding flash of color in a sea of gray.Perfect may not be in the cards, but perfectly imperfect could just last forever . . ..

My Review:

While this review will not have any spoilers, there is potential for spoilers for Rule and Jet. Please click those titles for reviews!

Moving along in the Marked Men series…Rome. Oh Rome. I don’t even know where to begin with Rome.

I think what I mostly like about this book is Cora. Cora is a this tiny little pixie who is a spitfire and keeps her boys in line, and that sometimes includes Rome as well. But Rome brings out a softer side in her and I think she does that back for him. I think the circumstances that brought them together were unexpected but I love that they were able to bring them together. Okay, that’s so vague and its hard to write about Cora and Rome without writing spoilers.

So here’s the thing. Both Cora and Rome have their past affecting their future. Cora is confident but when it comes to love and all that, she wavers. She had her heart broken BIG time. And that’s enough to keep anyone at arm’s length. Then you have Rome who is back in civilian life and not quite sure what to do with it. He’s haunted by the experience he had in the military but he also misses it so much and isn’t really sure what to do with his life now that he’s out.

Bring those two together? And it just makes for an incredibly beautiful romance. Truly. I’m getting choked up just thinking about it. They are completely unconventional and they begin a romance after a sort of “whoops, did we just have incredibly amazing sex together?” thing and I think that’s amazing. They obviously had the chemistry and they just went for it and its incredible. The idea of the little spitfire and the big military guy together? Its kind of comical but I love it too at the same time.

But I also like what this starts for the series. Rome sort of ends up in a situation and it really sets up for the rest of the book. He and this place become a central part of the rest of the series and I love that. I love what it becomes and I wish it were a real place because it feels like a sort of home for them to come together and celebrate and that sort of thing. Its hard to explain if you haven’t read it but I really hate writing about spoilers but I really do love what this book sets up for the rest of the series. I love that we get to see Saint, who is going to appear later in Nash’s book, and I love that it just where this family really starts to become a family.

Rating:

4.5 out of 5 Stars

Book Review: Signs Point to Yes (ARC) by Sandy Hall

July 16, 2015July 22, 2015Leave a comment

This review is based on an advanced reader’s copy of the novel obtained through snail mail at the permission of Fierce Reads, information pills Macmillan Teen and Swoon Reads. This is in no way had an effect on the integrity of my review. Please note that published novel will differ from this ARC.

Genre:

Young Adult, doctor Contemporary, website Romance

Pages:

272 pages

Part of a Series?:

Standalone Novel

Release Date:

October 20th, 2015

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Jane, a superstitious fangirl, takes an anonymous babysitting job to avoid an unpaid internship with her college-obsessed mom. The only problem? She’s babysitting the siblings of her childhood friend and new crush, Teo.

Teo doesn’t dislike Jane, but his best friend Ravi hates her, and is determined to keep them apart. So Teo’s pretty sure his plans for a peaceful summer are shot. His only hope is that his intermittent search for his birth father will finally pan out and he’ll find a new, less awkward home. Meanwhile, at Jane’s house, her sister Margo wants to come out as bisexual, but she’s terrified of how her parents will react.

In a summer filled with secrets and questions, even Jane’s Magic 8 ball can’t give them clear answers, but Signs Point to Yes.

My Review:

This book is so short and sweet and awesome, I can’t even handle it. Its a Swoon Reads book, which I love, because Swoon Reads is super awesome and gives a shout out to those working their butts off to get published :) And I’ve read a few other titles and I was excited to get this one in the mail.

I absolutely adore Jane. She’s just…everything about her is just great. I love that she’s unsure of the future and that she’s superstitious and she consults her Magic 8 Ball. I like that she’s obsessed with writing weird obscure fan fiction (okay because seriously, I want Little Women/Doctor Who crossover fic). I like that she’s just figuring stuff and I like that when she collides with Teo, they have such a cute relationship. I absolutely love it.

Because I really miss sweet romances. I love that Teo and Jane so obviously like each other and that they aren’t really sure what to do about it and its just so cute. Its definitely swoon worthy. Sometimes a short and sweet romance is exactly what I need and I like the way that they crash together eventually. Its just fun to watch. Like watching a romantic comedy.

But I also like that there are genuinely important concerns to teenagers in there. Teo wonders about the identity and location of his father. Jane wonders what she wants to do with her life and struggles when she doesn’t have an answer for that. Even Jane’s sister, who is a secondary character, has her own struggles, ones that are quite close to my heart, and I loved every single minute of this book. I can’t wait to read more Swoon Reads because the fans are picking them and they obviously do a great job with them!

Rating:

4 out of 5 Stars

Book Review: The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

July 15, 2015July 22, 2015Leave a comment

Genre:

Young Adult, cialis 40mg Contemporary, price Romance

Pages:

352 pages

Part of a Series?:

Standalone Novel

Release Date:

May 5th, 2015

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

When Gia Montgomery’s boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she’d been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend—two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.

The problem is that days after prom, it’s not the real Bradley she’s thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn’t even know. But tracking him down doesn’t mean they’re done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend’s graduation party—three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.

Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.

My Review:

I did it guys. I finally read a Kasie West book! And I adore Kasie! I’ve met her twice in real life, and once was at the Ontario TBF and apparently that was enough for her to remember me at RT Convention in TEXAS and she is just the sweetest. Plus she said I looked like I was still in high school and I’m a sucker for compliments. I swear that has nothing to do with this review. I don’t give good reviews based on compliments. I mean, they help. Duh. ;)

Anyway…

I adore this book! Its so cute, I can’t handle it. I’ve been in the need for a lighthearted book where the main character isn’t broken. I needed a break from new adult and I saw Kasie’s book on the shelf and I thought…how have I not read any of her books yet. I immediately bought and read it and I just loved it. Its seriously so fun. Gia lies to her friends, tells them that this beautiful boy that she basically found in the parking lot is her boyfriend Bradley and then she stages a dramatic break up and then she actually falls for the guy and come on, hilarity and hijinks are going to ensue. Because when you lie that much, its just bound to come and bite you in the ass and I kind of flew through the pages because I just had to know how it ended. It reminded me a bit of Katie Finn’s Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend and how lying, especially to those you care about, can seriously blow up in your face.

And that’s also what makes it such a great book. Gia has to stop and think, wait, why am I lying? Why do I feel the need to lie? And that opens up a whole can of worms and while this book is fun and romantic and watching the romance between Gia and Fill-In Boyfriend build up is just so awesome, I love that the book really focuses on Gia’s struggle to figure out who the hell she is. And that’s hard! She struggles with who she is, who her friends want her to be, who her parents want her to be, who she expects to be and who she really actually wants to be and those are all incredibly confusing. And it sucks that it takes lying to her friends for her to figure it out but this book is so much about her growing up and I absolutely love that.

Bottom line, I was massively impressed with the first book I read by Kasie. She is able to both write a fun and light romance novel that also touches on genuinely real things that happen to teenagers. Its a hard balance but she does it so well and I absolutely enjoyed it from beginning to end.

Plus now I have a massive crush on Fill-In Boyfriend (you’ll figure out his name in the book!) and really, Kasie, did I truly need another book boyfriend?

Of course, I did.

Rating:

4.5 out of 5 Stars

Book Review: What We Saw (ARC) by Aaron Hartzler

May 9, 2015May 7, 2015Leave a comment

This review is based on an advanced reader’s copy of the novel obtained through Edelweiss at the permission of Harper Teen. This is in no way had an effect on the integrity of my review. Please note that published novel will differ from this ARC.

Genre:

Young Adult, and Contemporary

Pages:

336 pages

Part of a Series?:

Standalone Novel

Release Date:

September 22nd, 2015

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Kate Weston can piece together most of the bash at John Doone’s house: shots with Stacey Stallard, Ben Cody taking her keys and getting her home early—the feeling that maybe he’s becoming more than just the guy she’s known since they were kids.

But when a picture of Stacey passed out over Deacon Mills’s shoulder appears online the next morning, Kate suspects she doesn’t have all the details. When Stacey levels charges against four of Kate’s classmates, the whole town erupts into controversy. Facts that can’t be ignored begin to surface, and every answer Kate finds leads back to the same question: Where was Ben when a terrible crime was committed?

This story—inspired by real events—from debut novelist Aaron Hartzler takes an unflinching look at silence as a form of complicity. It’s a book about the high stakes of speaking up, and the razor thin line between guilt and innocence that so often gets blurred, one hundred and forty characters at a time.

My Review:

I knew immediately that this was a book I needed to read. It sounded amazing for one thing, and I absolutely adore Aaron and his writing and his writing style. I knew that it would be good. I just didn’t know how good it was going to be.

This book completely blew my mind. As soon as I had downloaded it onto my Nook, I couldn’t stop reading. It was like a train wreck, you couldn’t look away. When it came down to it, I think the realism of this story, the fact that this is based on a true story and based on real events that happen all the time, I think that’s what drew me in and kept me there right away.

Kate is faced with an incredibly difficult obstacle. She was at the same party as Stacey. She was drunk, and yet she made it home and Stacey didn’t. Or so Stacey says. But she’s torn because the guys accused of raping Stacey are basketball royalty, the entire town worships the ground they walk on. There’s no way they did this…and even if they did, Stacey deserved it. She dressed provocatively. She’s from the “wrong” side of town. Its everything we face in the news, on Facebook, everywhere, all the time right now, and watching it through Kate’s eyes was hard to take.

This book was incredibly emotional for me. I felt so many different emotions at once. I felt sick and angry and anxious as hell. Its been awhile since I’ve had such a visceral reaction to a story and I felt this one all over. I cried, I got angry, I felt helpless, even though this is all fictional. But is it? I was so angry because this sort of thing happens and this sort of thinking-that a girl deserves it, that she should have taken care of herself, she shouldn’t dress that way or drink that much-exists all over the place and its WRONG. But because of the rape culture we have…people are confused. And Kate is confused. She’s torn between her feelings for Ben Cody, and for his friends and for the popularity they have.

I think the thing I had the most visceral reaction to was everyone’s thoughts about the boys and Stacey. The way they built up the boys, the way the boys acted like it was a joke, the way they tore apart Stacey…it made me feel awful every single time I read a line. People genuinely think this way! They do, and its just terrible and to read a book about something like this, something that actually really happened…it was hard to stomach.

But I think what makes this book as great as it is is that Aaron provides a beacon of hope about this. Sure, you feel hopeless at times, you realize how close to home this story hits because of how incredibly real it is. But at the same time, you have Kate. And Kate is the light in this story because you see her journey through uncertainty and confusion and determination and finally, resolution. She’s the light, she’s the hope. She’s the good. She gives you the hope that there are so many people out there that know to do the right thing. That’s what makes this book so beautiful. Kate. She’s an incredible character and you follow her through this book, experiencing the same emotions as her, wanting to reach into the pages and hold her hand and tell her its going to be okay, even if you’re unsure its going to be. She’s the beautiful bright spot of the novel and she’s what makes this book SO incredibly good.

This book doesn’t come out til September, and I’ll definitely repost the review closer to release day. I just wanted to share this now because I want to build up talk for this book NOW. It blew my mind. The writing, the characterization, everything…its just amazing. I already was impressed with Aaron from Rapture Practice and now I’m a complete convert. This is a one of a kind novel and I know that we will see more of this incredible talent in the future.

Rating:

5 out of 5 Stars