Some much needed order is on it's way

New Year's Eve is already knocking on the  front door and it's time to make my New Year's resolutions. We all know what happens to those resolutions. They are forgotten after a few weeks and the toughest of us might just make it through March. But this resolution is much needed here on Books Told Me So.

Review: Rules of Survival

★★★★☆

“Well, if it comes down to it, you can just crush the bad guys with your enormous ego.”  

 Mikayla, or Kayla, knows how to survive. How to avoid the bounty hunters and kilers who are after her. She has rules. And these rules should not ever be broken. But. The game changes after she gets caught by a pair of bounty hunters and she is whisked away, handcuffed to one of them.

Well, Rules of Survival did not lack speed or anything. Fast paced and eventful, it takes you on a chase across cities. Even if this isn't your genre, the plot will grasp you with.

Althoug the characters are a bit black and white, I think they suit this kind of story the best.

Though the end gives you the satisfaction and finality, I felt that I needed something more. Just something. Still, I recommend this one to be read.

Review: Poet of the Wrong Generation

★★★★☆

''The complete heart-wrenching experience was cathartic,but entirely draining, leaving him exhausted beyond words.''

Leaving me exhausted beyond words. Robbing me of any coherent thought. 

Poet of the Wrong Generation should be thought as nothing more as a whole. Its magnificence becomes clear in the end. You might see glimpses of it in the beginning or in the middle, but the true glory strikes when you return the Poet to your bookshelf.

The story follows Johnny Elias through his rise and fall in his life. His rise to stardom over night as a singer-songwriter and his fall in both his career and personal life. Seasoned with twists and turns, Johnny's life could be easier.

Poet isn't action packed. Advancing with slow pace, it gives you time to actually experience the feels rather than just ploughing through. What I appreciated a lot was that due to the slow pace you can actually put it down and read it in small portions.

As for characters, there are quite a lot of them, but not too many. The main group is well developed and the lower on the importance ladder the less refined the characters were.

All in all, Poet was entertaining read. The themes it covers are a for a bit older audience, over 20-year-olds or something like that. I'm not saying that younger than twenty-somethings won't get anything out of it or it's not suited for them, but it could be a more understandable.

I really enjoyed Poet of the Wrong Generation. Truly recommend this!

What's going on?

That time of the year when you check your Goodreads Reading Challenge and realise you should read two books every day to meet it.

That time of the year when it's so dark outside you want to go into hibernation and wake up in the Spring, but you realise your To Do - list won't allow it.

That time of the year when your motivation has plummeted to subzero and not even Starbuck's Christmas Blend Latte with an extra shot can lift it up.

I'm moving to a new apartment next week with my sister from the Rhythm of the Rush (She writes in Finnish, don't be fooled by the name).

Hi, sis! ☺

The only problem now is the bookshelves.... Voi elämänkevät, as we Finns say. (Oh dear God, remember to add the sigh! or something like that.)

I've now packed all my books to boxes and can happily announce that they fill six large boxes.

Even the packing is not the problem, but the reshelving. Most of you must have reorganised your shelves even once, so you know the torture. I need to buy a new shelf and new books to fill that up.

Too stressful. I just want to get it over with.

Lucky me Jamie's always helping with the cushioning by shedding fur everywhere. Thanks Jamie, you're the best.

Currently reading books:
Lonnie Ostrow, Poet of the Wrong Generation    page 265
Erin Watt, Twisted Palace                                     page 125
Charles Yu, Sorry Please Thank You                    page 39

Review: A Court of Mist and Fury

★★★★★

I finished reading two and a half weeks ago. Now I think I'm ready to actually write the review.

From the first word to the last this one held me in its grip, relentlessly. Though I kept a break in the middle, it wasn't because I didn't like the book, quite the opposite, I didn't want it to end. The only thing I could think of while reading was ''Holy Crap. How will I survive the reading slump following the finishing of ACOMAF?''

The answer to that: I'm still suffering. I haven't finished a full book since. I feel horrible.

Maybe I'd always been broken and dark inside.

Feyre is back. Back in the Spring Court, back under Tamlin's watchful eye, back in the life of every girl's dream, but she doesn't feel like she is living the dream. Suddenly her life meets even more dramatic change than in The Court of Thorns and Roses. If you haven't already read what happens, go read it first and then come back to read my review! 🌝

Possible spoilers from here on!

To the dreams that are answered

Yes. ACOMAF was even better than ACOTAR. Feyre's character development was fast and I think that she has almost reached her full potential.

''I have known many High Lords,'' -- ''Cruel ones, cunning ones, weak ones, powerful ones. But never one that dreamed. Not as he does.''

I can't say that I never liked Tamlin. I can't say that I never disliked Rhysand. Reading ACOTAR made me love Tamlin, just like Feyre loved him too. But during ACOMAF I realised what he is inside, what he's really like. And just like Feyre did, I learned, bit by bit, to love Rhys. I looking back, I have no clue why ever loved Tamlin. It might be because he is the first love, the security blanked. He was the one Ms. Maas made us love, then turned the story upside down. Like she always does.

And now - now I didn't know where that put me.
Knee-deep in trouble seemed like a good place to start.

I could feed you hundreds of quotes. One for each day while waiting the next book to come out. But instead I go back to nursing my worst reading slump ever. Thank you Sarah J. Maas for, again, writing an amazing book.

Review: Giovanni Meets a Coven

★★★★☆

Giovanni has had some bad luck, indeed. Losing his job and getting attacked by a floor buffer is just the beginning.

Giovanni Meets a Coven is the second addition to the Med School Series in which an Italian Med School student tries to survive through everyday life. Everything he tries do is ruined, though in an extremely comical way, by a some cosmic power. As a man of science, Giovanni refuses to believe in any kind of magic, even though he has just survived a night with a living-dead voodoo mamba. 

I really enjoyed  this one. Following Giovanni through all the mishaps and accidents made me feel a little bad since I sometimes couldn't stop laughing. With the little twist at the end made me wish it would've continued a bit further!

Rereading reread reads

A couple of days ago I felt like reading, but didn't want read anything new. So I took a stock of what I had read the past year and picked one of them. Which turned out to be the first of a trilogy, and now I've read the entire trilogy, again. It made me think that if it's a good or bad thing to reread books.

A quick search on the Internet brought me to this awesome article by Bustle and the joys of rereading books. Inspired by it I decided to make my own list.



Why rereading (reread) books is great?

1. Visiting places and meeting old acquaintances

Remember the first train ride to Hogwarts? I do too. Remember when Elizabeth met Mr. Darcy the first time? I do too. Those turns in books, or should I say in history, mark something to us. The turning point to something new, the beginning of something, or ending.

2. You have changed, the book hasn't

The book you read when you were 15 doesn't feel the same now. Why is that? Well, maybe you've grown up. Your perspective has changed and reading the same book you read years back may have something more to offer you. You might find an entirely new dimension in it.

3. The anticipation, the details you missed the first time

You know what's going to happen, but still it comes out of the blue. Rereading is not the same as reading for the first time, but one of it's advantages is that you can take your time when reading it since you already know what's going to happen. You can focus on the details it gives you. Oh, it was three streets over from where they first met?

4. Visiting old memories - finding out the clues

That's where they first met/kissed/broke up/solved the mystery! Visiting those old scenes bring up memories from the time originally read it. Where you were then and what happened at the time. And finding the clues that lead up to the main turning point in the book. That is the best thing!

5. Because you can

Why not? Because not always you want to explore the world. Because sometimes reliving the old memories is better than facing the present.

Some say that rereading the same books keep us stuck in the past, but how I see it, it's just walking down the best memory lane one can ever have.

Review: Bully

''Yesterday lasts forever, Tomorrow comes never.''

★★★★★

Not the easiest read this year. The themes are dark and the story teaches a lot. I had to take breaks from reading, before continuing, since this is not a light, happy love story.

After spending an entire year studying in France, Tatum returns home to begin her senior year. She hopes that things have changed, that she wouldn't be bullied again this year. She realises quickly that things have not changed and decides to face the bully. Upping her own game to revenge the past years she balances on the fine line of self-defence and bullying. The thing that makes it all so hurting is that her bully is her childhood friend Jared. The boy she thought she might spend the rest of her life with.

Not a bed-time story. You really get to step into Tate's head and in some parts it's not pretty. The line between bullying and defending herself becomes blurred page by page and it's not something easy to follow close by. I really enjoyed the authenticity of the situations and emotions portrayed.

Though the story-line seems fairly innocent, when you really dive in, it's anything but. Containing the bullying itself and sexual content this is not for young readers. Truly a remarkable book about how bullying can change people's lives.

Review: the Patriots of Mars

''Curiosity really might kill you.''

★★★☆☆

Confused is a word that comes to mind when thinking back to my experience of reading the Patriots of Mars. There were the Patriots, there was politics and scientific gadgets and all those other sci-fi bizarre things. The thing that I can't wrap my mind around is that when did the actual action start? Page 200 or was it 300?

The story is told from multiple point of views and introducing new characters without actually introducing them. That element was what I actually learned to like afterwards, not during reading. You don't get to know much of the characters, but still get enough information to know what's going on. The story spins around politics and artificial intelligence ''MOM''. MOM knows everything and controls it according to her calculations of what is for the best for mankind. She is much more than just a computer, she is a being of sorts that no one can control. 

Now you're probably wondering 'Hey, what about the Martians?' Uhhuh, they're there. Natural resources have run out on Earth and are mined from Mars. Running the operations are big companies, and doing the actual mining are immigrants from Earth. There also is a boy called Josh, can I say, the protagonist of the story and the first person ever born on Mars. What's his role in the whole book, that's is what you're going to find out way after the middle of the book.

In my first paragraph I wondered when did the action start in the book. I should warn you, you need patience for this book. You need to be able to read about 100 pages before anything even remotely makes sense and then another hundred to start to enjoy the story. For you sci-fi fans out there, I know that you might disagree with me on this, and feel free to do it! 

I really liked the fact that the Patriots of Mars didn't fall into a the usual pattern of Problem-Problem-Arguing-Back Together-Let's Conquer the World - caste. The words flowed and descriptions felt real. I really do recommend this book, even though if you are not a huge science-fiction fan, go, pick it up and try it!

Review: Destiny Binds

'' Did you wake up on the stupid side of the bed this morning?''

★★☆☆☆

This is one of those moments when the words run dry. I don't know how to explain the thoughts running through my mind. Did I like Destiny Binds? Um, yeah. Then what went wrong?

I'd say nothing went wrong, there just were things that to me didn't seem like thoughts thought through. Besides these mishaps, I think the plot was fairly original.

Harper ''Scout'' Donovan's family is nothing but ordinary, though she doesn't know it yet. Overhearing weird things from her brother and the mysterious brothers moving to the area. What she didn't know was that her half brother and half cousin were not exactly what they said they were. As the truth unveils, and the love triangle deepens, it all comes to a abrupt flat wall. And I'm talking about a figurative wall, not an actual one.

The ending was disappointing, though the cliff-hanger made it a bit better. Without the cliff-hanger, I don't know how this book would've make anyone to continue tot he second part of the trilogy.

Scout as a character is the only one who seemed to be fully developed. The others felt a bit like half filled balloons, there but not at their full potential. 

I'm not going to read the rest of the trilogy, since to me this wasn't a great book. I'd recommend this to a bit younger audience, around ages 12-17, I'd say. But there are times when a mindless paranormal romance is the thing you need never mind your age!

Photographing Books Should Be an Olympic Sport

Try to get your pet in the picture! If he/she isn't a fan of cameras,
you might end up with something like this.

Ever wonder how those bookstagrammers and pinners, and the lot, take those wonderful pictures? Are they just naturally talented or do they hire a professional? Or what?

I'm not a professional myself, and my Instagram tends to be a bit messy, but I can tell you a few tips and tricks when it comes to taking fabulous pictures!

STEP 1:

What and where. Pick the book and put it in place. When considering the place, take note of light: is there enough or too much. Too little light can affect the quality of the picture and too much light makes objects shine. Consider also that are you taking it for or against the source of light. Pictures taken against light tend to have the halo and silhouette elements.

I tried to get my cat's front-paws to the left side of the picture,
but Jamie had a different opinion...

STEP 2:

Knick and knack. Want to add little objects, like Autumn leaves or a cup of coffee? Those can be seen almost on every book-photo channel, right? Makes sure that the object you choose compliment the main object, in this case the book, and preferably relate to the book. For example, a wand for Harry Potter books.

STEP 3:

Perspective. High above or close-up? Depending of the other features of the picture. If you have a lot of light and objects then a close-up might get too crowded. Take from several angles, and then decide which one looks the best. The end result will be different in each picture since the light will be coming from a different direction and different sides of everything will be shown.

STEP 4:

Filters and other photoshopping features. Adding filters change the mood of the photo. Changing the balance of light and contrast or increasing the colour saturation will make it more or less dramatic than the original.

STEP 5:

Make it yours. Be a trendsetter. Or just do it your way. Have a blast!

Review: Need

I've been through the woods with this one, and not in a nice little city forest. In the beginning the hike was hard and I struggled to continue. In the middle the branches hit me in the face and hard. In the end I couldn't find my way out. When I finally did find out, all that was left of me was an annoyed feeling because of all those clichés had hit me in the face.

★★☆☆☆

So if you already didn't catch my meaning, I did not enjoy this book very much. Okay, there were elements that I liked, but as a whole, waste of time. That's harsh, I know, but what can you do.

What annoyed me the most was the similarity to the Twilight series and the plot holes. Like, the road had so many wholes that sometimes I forgot I even was reading book, because I had to find my way out or around them. What comes to the Twilight side, the main character and the setting in the beginning are so close that only the name of the town and the protagonist was changed. Thank heavens Need took a bit different path from that. What also didn't make any sense to me, was Zara's, the main character's, obsession with phobias. If there's someone wiser out there, please, do explain it in the comments below!

What I actually liked was that there was the love interest hanging around and the story didn't evolve around him, like in most books it does.

This was the first book in a series of four. Unfortunately, I won't be reading the next one. Still, I don't regret reading this. It always gives more perspective to other books, if you've read some book that you haven't liked so much in between great ones. And a change out of my usual genre really felt great despite Need not being the best book ever.

Reading challenges - the Ultimate Guides of Life

It's been a while since I've done something else than review. And now that my finals are over I'm going to review and do more things here. From now on I'm going to read furiously and write more reviews and posts here!

My newest feature on my site is the ''Reading Challenge'' page. It contains three challenges: The BBC - list, The 50 Before You Die, and 100 and 1 Books of YA.

Those challenges are the most common and feel free to copy them to yourself!

As you can see, if you already checked the page out, I did horribly on the first two. The YA list isn't with the best score either... Shame on me.

Most of us, myself included, do not take reading challenge lists too seriously. They're more like guidebooks to what to read next or what we should be reading. The only challenge most of us take seriously is the Goodreads' Reading Challenge. I stress that one more than my finals... Again, shame on me.

Review: Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between

''Like I said... the prologue is the best part.''

★★★☆☆

Just like a bittersweet memory from your childhood, this book makes you do the sad smile. There's no helping it. Aidan and Clare's story makes you think of your first crush or relationship. The sweet times, when we thought that life was perfect.

If you're looking for character development, you won't find it in Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between. The characters are good, if you're wondering, but they are not made to fit into a certain mold. The reader can/must fill many gaps. Which was one of favourite things in this book.

Since we're talking about Jennifer E. Smith's book it's obvious, to those who have read more of her books, how this books is going to end. I wouldn't say that the predictability lowers the quality of the book too much.

You get to follow the story from the first hello to the last goodbye. All the stops in between, the things that matter. The things that made Aidan and Clare's relationship theirs.

A perfect read for Fall and Winter. A book to curl up with, with a hot beverage and warm fuzzy socks. ☕

Review: Melody's Key

I'm having a really, really bad habit of finishing books during classes. Someday I might embarrass myself really badly, if I don't get out of this habit.

In books, there are two kind of clichés: The good ones and the awful ones. They're sorted into those classes by the plot, and what works in one book may just be the doom of a another. These sweet 'good' clichés were the best thing in Melody's Key. A summer romance, English countryside, handsome, world-known popstar, and love letters from a hundred years back. These made it perfect.

★★★★★

Tegan Lockwood's story is about love and loss. About trusting yourself and that everything happens for a reason. And when there's no reasonable explanation for something, you're going to realise it later on. Tegan is sweet, hardworking, and definitely a dreamer. Spending her evenings reading old love letters in their attic, and tending the gardens of her family's holiday estate during days in the idyllic English countryside. But then, a popstar literally pops in to spend the summer at their place. What neither Tegan or Mason, the pop star, knows is, that they might just find what they're both looking for in the backwoods of England. 

All the characters are well developed and the plot was well tied. I couldn't find any obvious loose ends or cutting the corners. The letters were missing in some point, and I really missed them being a bit more tied to the plot, but in the end it may not have made any difference if they were mentioned three more times in the middle. 

Definitely if you haven't already started reading Melody's Key or you have, but didn't know, go check out the songs written in the book. They can be found on Dallas Coryell's Youtube page! They give an extra kick to the story. I found them after reading and now everything that was crystal clear and made sense, makes even more sense.

Definitely worth reading, and even though it's a summer romance, it can be read all year around, since the book is just so lovable.

Review: Anew

Cliche of the cliches. Two over six feet tall strangers, who just happen to be dark haired twin brothers who just happen to be gorgeous looking. Oh, and the female lead just happen to be the love-interest of both the boys.

★☆☆☆☆

Not to only stomp over Anew I must confess that there were a few decent points to this book. I thought the plot to be fairly original and the main points and attractions well placed.

Buuut, everything else. Ugh. No, no über negative thoughts. 

Following the story of Scarlet, who wakes up in a forest alone with no recollection of her whereabouts or memories of how she got there. The story skips to two years later, when she's seventeen, into a local Kissing festival, where she notices a dark handsome stranger. The stranger introduces himself as Gabriel Archer. There's something familiar about Gabriel Scarlet can't figure out, but no memories surface. There's another one too, who looks exactly like Gabriel, but no one seems to know who he is. Scarlet feels a physical pull towards this another male, which she can't explain. Her relationship with Gabriel deepens, but with it comes also the feeling that Gabriel is keeping something from her. The truth is about to reveal and change her life, again...

In some books, cliches are good. In some, they kill the whole thing. Unfortunately, that's what happened with Anew. Originality reached so far as the main idea, but the end-result left me on the brink of absolute annoyment. I definitely recommend to read this, since I think this one is either absolute love or hate. Maybe for younger readers, under 16 or so. All in all, I don't say I hated this from the bottom of my heart, but I strongly disliked it, because of good writing which was concealed under over-flowing cliches.

Review: Touch of Power

I am ashtonished that I have never heard of this book before yesterday. And I must say that I am really glad that I decided to pick it up instantly. 

★★★★★

Let's move on. Holy mother of the gene that allows people yo write such amazing books. Now, let's do one of those 'imagine' things. Imagine a meadow, sunshine, birds and sunny weather. Imagine romantic background music. Imagine someone running slow-motion and the loved one waiting on the other end of the meadow. Now imagine me doing the running and the next book of the series as the loved one. I hardly could contain myself to write this review before starting the next book. So, Touch of Power was that amazing.

Following the story of a twenty-year-old Avry of Kazan, a healer who is hunted for execution just because she is a healer. Avry gets caught and is sent to the prison, with the promise of short visit, since the guillotine was waiting. And the visit is short, but doesn't end with her head separate from body, because of a band of rogues who save her. But, there always is a but. She must heal a prince. A prince who the rogues claim to be the only one capable to stop the other kingdoms of hunting down the healers. Reluctant to heal the prince, Avry is forced to follow the band on the journey to the prince's hiding place, even though the healing might be the last one she's going to do. If she decides to do it at all.

Avry of Kazan was real. Like, not over confident, fearless or stupid. Which is a bit unusual for a strong female lead. Because she was a strong leading character. Not only did she heal the bodies and hearts of the other characters, she also took their scars. And that's something else. Her, can I say charm?, reached each and every one in the book and even me. 

You're probably wondering that if there is a love triangle, or even just the reluctant, sassy, grumbling man, whose heart Avry must defrost. The answer is yes, but it certainly is not the point in the book. Not even close. Just an extra piece of swoon, to spice the story. 

If you haven't already read this one, go pick it up and add it to your TBR! 

Review: Kings or Pawns

★★★★☆

I had no idea that a bunch of old guys could be so entertaining.... No, seriously.

When you start a book, you begin to look for the ending. Does the boy get the girl? Will the world be saved? And so on. And to me that was the hardest part. I couldn't get into the story properly until I stopped looking for the ending. And oh my sweet morning latte with extra espresso, did it get good. And when I talk about good, I mean good.

The story is told from multiple point of views, which in the beginning might be slightly confusing, but after a few chapters you'll get used to it. It actually only compliments the story, since the book is about politics and war of elven kingdom, there never is only one side to the happenings. And usually there were a bit more than three fingers in the pot. Which made Kings or Pawns awesome.

I'm not into politics at all, but this, wow. After the first few chapters I felt so captivated that I didn't want to stop. The plans to destroy others, while gaining personal profit were great. They even got me, even though I knew they were going to happen. This book kept me on my toes until the very last word. And a bit beyond.

As for characters I have to say that none of them were left unfinished, which usually is the problem while handling such a huge group. Also the differences between character's personalities and differences in their social statuses could be found clear as a day on the page. The relations between all of them was The Thing. When one wanted to win a war, the next wanted to control the king, while the next one wanted to take over the kingdom.

I still don't think I've found the right words to describe this book. Just raw emotions, politics, and absolute brilliance.

Thank you J.J. Sherwood for giving this book for reading and reviewing! I am hugely excited for the next one!!

Review: Me Before You

"Hey, Clark,' he said. 'Tell me something good."

★★★★★

I turned the last page over two days ago. And before this moment my head has been empty of ideas to write. Now I'm ready to move on.

Many say, that you don't know what losing someone is like until you actually experience it. After reading Me Before You I think I can say that I know a fraction of the real pain. 

Following the story from the point of view of Louisa Clark, a young woman who is so far in her comfort zone that there's no sign of danger. Until she loses her job. Her comfort is shattered in seconds and she's left to scrape the pieces. Her saviour is not the knight in a shining armour but Will Traynor. A man whose interest in life escaped with his ability to move after a traffic accident. 

Lou is determined to get the old Will back, but it's not so easy. Will too is determined, unfortunately his determination is aimed to forgetting everything he used to be. Lou is not having any of it and the battle of wills has begun. 

This book is packed with a heavy load of emotions. And while you read it, you see the book as a movie, you can actually step into the story. With so life-like writing, it comes to life and all the decisions made feel like your own making. Sounds a bit frightening, but in a way it's amazing.
Those of you, who are looking for books with character development, this is the book for you.

And yes, the rumours are true. Looking for a book to cry over? The winner definitely is Me Before You. 

Review: The Summer that Melted Everything

★★★☆☆

''Pain is our most intimate encounter. It lives on the very inside of us, touching everything that makes us. It claims your bones, it masters your muscles, it reels in your strength, and you never see it again. The artistry of pain is its contact. The horror of it is the same.''

An ordinary family encounters the most extraordinary year, when the father, Autopsy Bliss, invites the devil over. And when the devil does show up, the small town doesn't know what to believe in anymore. And most of the reason is because the devil is not red and has no horns, but a little dark skinned boy wearing overalls. 

The story follows Fielding Bliss, the son of Autopsy Bliss. Fielding takes the devil to his home to meet the one who invited him. Introducing himself as Sal, the devil has come to stay. Over the course of the summer the little Breathed town starts bit by bit go crazy. Accidents happen, and who else to blame but the visiting devil?

The Summer that Melted Everything is something else. I first thought it was a young adult book with not so dark themes. It turned up to be something else. With rough topics to go over from sins to forgiving to leaving and killing, it's no funny bed time story to be read. 

What amazed me was that how much a human being can experince in one life span: Births, deaths, happiness, sadness, changing, and leaving. And how they could be felt and experinced from the pages. The themes were dark, yes, but. But there were light slithering in between them. Little strands of light between the sins, creating happiness to those who needed them. Even if it was through something not good. 

Things melt. They drip down your wrist like melted ice cream cone. They run on the streets like melted box of ice cream fallen from someone. They melt like relationships, like life, like love. Things melt, but life goes on. And that's what The Summer that Melted Everything was about. At least to me.

Review: Ugly Love

'' I suppose if a man lived through the ugliest side of love, he might never want to experience it again. ''

★★★★★

There are these things called emotions. Every human being has them. Sometimes they make you happy, sometimes they make you love somebody, sometimes they make you feel proud, and sometimes they crush you. Stomp over you. Land on you with a Boeing 777-200 without landing gear. Put you through a shredder on the lowest speed. Make you feel so many emotions that you feel nothing at all. So, without further introductions, welcome to the wonderful experience of reading Ugly Love. It's a happy book, I can guarantee, if you feel the emotions described above happy.

Tate Collins is a 23 year old nurse moving in with her brother for a while before getting her own place. What she doesn't expect is to find a man, and a nice looking one, leaning on the door she's suppose to go in. A very drunken one.

Miles Archer. Miles Archer. Miles. A.R.C.H.E.R. *sigh* A pilot an the drunk guy leaning on the door. The truth is that Miles is troubled by his past so much, that he only has two rules: Never ask about the past and don't expect a future. The things he has gone through in his past are still on his mind and it seems he can't escape the ghosts.

I cried my eyes out. And no, not on the last page. I did cry there too, but I cried almost the last quarter of the book. And sometimes of happiness, sometimes of saddness. Sometimes of both. The emotions that you go through, if you like the book, are intense. Half of the time you don't know what you're supposed to even feel.

Ugly Love is not about emotionless sex. It's about loss, life, and over coming the things you fear the most.The wonders in life that happen but also the things we might have to give up on in order to continue. Most of all, it's about love. Not the beautiful side that you are used to hearing about, but the ugly side. The side that no one wants to acknowledge, but the side that still exists, and is almost as powerful as love itself. 

Review: This Is What Happy Looks Like

 ★★★★★

'' He knew how the story was supposed to go. Boy meets girl. Girl likes boy. Boy kisses girl. And then?''

Because of one missing '2' in an email address, Ellie gets an weird email from a stranger asking to take his pig, Wilbur, out. That little typo starts something big. 

Graham, the super hot film star from California, was the one sending the email to Ellie. Now determined to find the girl, he suggests Ellie's home town as a set location and gets his wish. He's going to see her, but there's a catch. She doesn't know he's coming and he doesn't know what she looks like. 

The story of Ellie and Graham is predictable. There are no huge surprises. But that, at least my opinion, makes it even better. A perfect summer fling. 

This Is What Happy Looks Like is about finding what happy looks like to you. What makes people happy? Is it sunsets or sunrises? Is it ends or beginnings that make people happy. Could it be both? 

The perfect beach book is light and fast to read. It may make you cry from happiness. At least that's what I did... 

I didn't know that in such a short period of time (liar!), I could get attached to characters so much, but after finishing I realised. It's the details. The little things you find out when you get to know a person. Do they like sherbet, flip-flops, or sticking their toes in the water. The details matter and they make this book even more lovable. 

I could say, that after reading, you know what happy looks like.

Review: Blaming the Wind

Blaming the Wind is not about blaming the wind for messing up your hairdo. No. The wind has no responsibility whatsoever for its actions. We on the other hand do. And claiming responsibility for those actions is what we're supposed to do, not to continue to blame the wind.

★★★★☆

 
Alessandra Harris, thank you for gifting me this book for reading and reviewing.
The story is told from four point of views. There are two couples who are neighbours and friends. Both couples have serious problems, that are somewhat life changing. Still there's no honesty nor trust in their relationships. When the troubles expand from the neighbouring house for the rest of the world to see, then it's time to confront the truth. And the truth after secrets is never beautiful.

Those of you who have undergone or followed another person who has had mental issues, divorce, abusing relationships, cheating, or any kind hard trouble in your lives, this book really might feel hard to read. Alessandra Harris tells the story without leaving any detail out. It's like following the characters in real life. The troubles and the basic things in life that should make you happy are written in so vivid detail that they feel real. It's quite common to forget that the little things in life we should be happy about are surrounding us almost everywhere. Blaming the Wind made me realise that. And it made me have more respect for my parents for my upbringing despite all the hard times. 

Shout out for the Relentless series!

I am melting right now. And yes, these things are melting for.

Following the story of Sara Grey, who is not who she thinks she is. Hiding secret powers from her friends, who have secrets of their own. But all things that felt secure in Sara's life disappear when a strikingly handsome, brooding and moody warrior marches into town. Through a chain of events Sara learns things some people rather not want to, if they want to keep their heads intact.

Just wanted to give you a shout of these books! And if you read the original trilogy now, it's not a long wait before Warrior comes out, which is in  September 2016.

Review: The Crown

★★★★★ 

You know the feeling when you know that something is coming to an end? You might be a bit cranky or start forgetting things.

The Crown is the end. It's the end in many ways. It's the end of the series, it's the end of the privilege to getting to know the characters. It's the end.

And it was an amazing end. Yes, like every Kiera Cass book, final solution comes in the last pages, but it's worth it. It's worth the journey to get there. I still must warn you, the journey might not be easy this time, because there is no room for corrections. After you've turned the the last page there's no more, except the acknowledgements.  

Review: Will Grayson, Will Grayson

I have no clue why I've got two copies of Will Grayson, Will Grayson.

 Will Grayson meet Will Grayson.

★★★☆☆

Will Grayson x2 is something what I've never read before. Something really weird that you hate for the first two hundred pages, then you like it for the next sixty pages, and the last around fifty pages are really good and you almost love it. In the end it leaves you very confused and unsure. You don't know if you really loved it or truly despised it. 

What I felt was somewhat in the between, I settled for three stars, which is the average of the feelings that I felt for the book. But in the end it doesn't tell you the truth. The truth is that it was a love-hate relationship.

I really liked the idea and the themes and all the separate things in the book, but as a complection, they didn't work out. As separate they were great. Individual little stories of friendships and love and life. Together it was messy. Especially in the first two hundred pages. After those two hundred pages they start forming stringd to each other and in the end they are tied together and you realise what they all meant. The thing is that, if you have the patience of a goldfish, you can't wait almost three hundred pages so you can start loving a book which will end within ten pages. You just can't.

As for the characters. They are exact opposites. I don't know if you can make the protagonist less important than the side character, but now I know that it is possible. Very possible. There could been a few improvements with the characters personalities, but then again thinking, that might have a made a bigger mess of the book. And since I am not an awesome author, I can't say which kind of characters would've been the best fit for this kind of story.  

And now that I've started rambling weird things, let's just say that this book has to be read as an actual physical paperish book. Not the audiobook. I made the mistake and started this as an audiobook, but after ten minutes, I changed to the paper version. Makes more sense to what happens.

Review: Becoming Phoebe

I did not know what I signed up with when I promised to J. Michael Neal to read and review Becoming Phoebe. (BTW I big thank you, if you're reading this!)

What I expected: Teenage drunkeness, bad decision, fooling around, and a bit of growing and learning. And hockey.

What I got: Bad decisions, a huge plate of growing and learning, and my own heart broken. And hockey.

Becoming Phoebe is not the book to be read in one night. It's like getting to know a new person. First introductions and small talk. After a while some personal information. When you are really best friends then the hard stuff, the heart-breaks and other life changing information. That's what reading this books was.

Also a lot of hockey. If you don't like hockey, don't worry. It's not that relevant for the reader to be a hockey-enthusiastic. Actually it's better if you are not. I, myself, didn't even like hockey. But through Phoebe, I learned that you don't have to like everything in order to continue doing things.

What's the value of friendship? What are friends for? What about your team members? Questions of the values of every single person in our lives could be presented indefinitely. To some of them, we can find answers. The rest of them, we can never answer or we don't have the courage to ask them.

Becoming Phoebe literally is becoming Phoebe. How do you become the person you are? Is it through the experiences that you come across or the hardships you have to endure. That's what you will find out. Becoming Phoebe isn't just a book. It's so much more.

''I don't have a clue. Life probably won't let you put the training wheels on now. I'm going to do the best I can to support you, though.''

★★★★★

Review: The Next Together

'' How many times can you lose the one you love? ''

★★★☆☆

Apparently quite a few times... Following Katherine and Matthew's story thorough history made me want to believe in eternal 'shout it from the rooftops' love.

Yes, I can say that I liked the book. The settings and background stories were great and in vivid detail. Which, I think, is awesome. It's what makes the story to feel more alive.  

If you like slow going books, this is totally for you. Not much happens and it gives you time to figure everything out in your own time. Nothing's rushed and the realisation can creep in to your head slowly and surely. 

Speed-readers should slow down whilst reading, the meaning of some things might slip unnoticed if rushed too much. And if you decide to pick up, don't you dare to skip any caption or note from this book. Every single word matters!

Review: An Abundance of Katherines

★★★☆☆

1. A prodigy learns, a genius invents new things. One can not be both.

2. Everything can be cured by a road trip.

3. Math can predict everything(, even love). 

4. The world is divided between dumpers and dumpees.

If seen as a whole picture, this book was really entertaining. I laughed, got annoyed and laughed again. It has faults too, but as a big picture, it's good.

What comes to the faults, is that I struggled with the characters and their development, or the lack of it. Yes, it's a short frame of time, that the book is based on, but still no changes in characters what's so ever. 

The thing with great books are that they leave you a bit empty inside. You just feel it in you. You feel exhausted and sad and happy, everything at once. In the end of An Abundance of Katherines I felt empty, but not the 'right' kind of empty. It was that, ''Okay it's over, so?'' - empty. That's why, I think, I only liked it, but not loved it. It had the potential though. 

I still highly recommend to read this! It's a light and super fast summer read.

Review: Dangerous Lies

★★★★☆

I was tempted to give this only three stars, but since it's a perfect book-hangover read, It gets its four stars.

Stella Gordon, not my real name, witnesses a crime at her home. Because of that, she is shipped of to witness security program to Thunder Basin, Nebraska. There she has to fit in to the tight knit society. Simple task, not easy to follow through though. And then there's the cliche boy...

I've read the Hush Hush - series before and last summer the Black Ice. If you've read them both, this falls into the same happy dappy category as the Hush Hush books. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but to get you some ground-level info.

Characters are very simple. No huge tricks or complicated personalities or anything. You get to know them really fast, but not too fast, because most of the information is sprinkled thorough the story-line. 

A plot-twist. Which book doesn't have even a minor one? I, honestly, do not know. Don't worry, you won't lose sleep over it, so you're safe. 

As I said earlier, it is a perfect book for book-hangover.

Review: Promises I Made

If you haven't read Lies I Told, do not read this! 

MIGHT CONTAIN SLIGHT SPOILERS FROM THE FIRST BOOK!
Review for the first book here: Lies I Told

The heart wrenching sequel to Lies I Told takes you on a journey to find what you are capable of when you really want to, to face the consequences of your actions, and to forgive.

★★★★☆

 Parker is in jail and facing heavy charges. Cormac made Grace to follow him on their next con, to get the money to save Parker. But he Cormac never even tries to help him. Grace feels helpless and decides to take matters on her own hands. All the while Renee is still gone. 

What could go wrong when everything already is wrong? Grace's life is a huge mess and when she decides to travel back to Playa Hermosa to help Parker, she has to confront her past with all its pains and sorrows. And when she meets someone from the past, all the cards get revealed and the tables turn. But who will lose everything this time?

There was a bit charcter development on Grace side and a few mild plot-twists, nothing too major to kill you. Perfect for reading-slump prevention!

Review: Glass Sword

 ★★★★★

You know, when you read a good book.
 How? It stabs you square in the heart and does it without blinking. Maybe even smiling or laughing simultaneously.

Welcome to the enchanting experience of being torn between brothers and hating yourself for it. You might accidentally kill a few people as a side-dish, but that's collateral damage of reading. It's a very enjoyable journey of finding who you hate and who you hate the most. So hop on!

I must say I really loved Glass Sword. All the characters have developed so much, and all in the good direction as individuals. And Mare made herself a feeling, real human being again. She wasn't a little girl avenging wrong. But a warrior.

Since this is the second book into the series, I can't reveal anything else. Except that, that a certain chapter stopped my heart. Which, I think, is expected from Aveyard's book.

And with this happy quote from the book, I wish you a pleasant time reading! :)

Review: Giovanni Goes to Med School

Forgive me for the cracked screen... All blame is on the cat.

                             ★★★★☆

There's a first time for everything. And for me this was a first zombie anything.

Fortunately I didn't have to be even a little bit disappointed. Since Giovanni Goes to Med School is hilarious.

It goes somehow like this:
Giovanni is a med school student and works the night shift in the morgue. When an elderly lady dies and gets shipped downstairs with her, much alive, dog, Giovanni's life is not as it was before. And the lady is only the beginning...

Like I said hilarious.

I'm looking forward to read more of Giovanni and see how he survives with things that shouldn't have survived alive. Or are they actually alive?

And thank you Kathy Bryson for giving me the opportunity to read this! [sending a hug]

Review: All the Bright Places

★★★★★

Finch wants to die. He has all the plans made, but every time he tries it something comes across that makes him want to continue.

Violet is stricken with grief by her sister's death. She doesn't know how to be herself anymore.

They meet on the ledge of the school's bell tower.

And that's how begins a heart wrecking sad story that makes you gasp for breath in the middle of the night.

I didn't expect this to be this amazing. Reading All the Bright Places really was hard in a way. It was like needing oxygen while diving. You need it so badly, so you try to get to the surface but can't get fast enough. And when you get there, you fill your lungs full. Same thing with the reading. You rush forward, not breathing and then you get to a spot where you can breathe. You close the book and prepare yourself for the next dive.

I don't know which part of this book I didn't love. I loved Finch, the freaky guy. I loved Violet, the girl looking for herself. I loved Indianapolis and wandering and the memories and the offerings. And the big blue lake.

This book is a cause for a terrible book hangover, so beware. (Also you may fall in love.)

Review: Heores and Villains: Pawn in the Game

★★★★☆

First I must thank the author Tara R. for giving me the opportunity to read her book Heroes and Villains: Pawn in the Game.

I must say that if you are not confused whilst reading this you must own super-brains or something. With so many plot twists that come out of nowhere and character's decisions that seem so unlikely to the reader this book makes you want to bang your head to the table from time to time. 

''Love is a powerful emotion, they say. It has no boundaries, they say. Love can conquer all. But I had never known love.''

Don't get me wrong, it's not a love story. Nothing lovey dovey about it. It's a cross between violence and betrayal with an added bonus of mistakes, that kill people (as if they weren't dying fast enough already).

In a world where violent kingdoms compete with the number of how many of them has died, nothing can be good. They count their deaths to the higher unknown power and in return they don't get the higher power's wrath upon them. Except now. When the higher power has betrayal in their ranks and everything they've done for to keep them hidden and safe is ready to fall apart. 

In this world a young woman called Aurora is chosen (ooor ''chosen'') to be the saviour of the worlds, but there is betrayal again. The plot unfolds when you see allegiances pledged across enemies to kill person A, just so they can get rid of person B. And so on. Trust me, the alphabet will run out before you're fifty pages in. And it's amazing.

Those of you who have seen Lost will understand that everything is related to everything. And it'll blow your mind off. All the events in the book might've been foretold as their starting forces were kicking in but the author distracted your mind to elsewhere so you didn't notice it. Then later when you realise what happened you feel like running into the nearest wall because you should've seen it coming. Creepily genius, Tara, creepily genius.

 I really look forward to read the next installment to this book!