Review: Pieces of Us by Maggie Gelbwasser

Title: Pieces of Us
Author: Maggie Gelbwasser
Published: 8th March 2012
Publisher: Flux
Source: eArc thanks to NetGalley and Flux

Two families. Four teens.
A summer full of secrets.

Every summer, hidden away in a lakeside community in upstate New York, four teens leave behind their old identities…and escape from their everyday lives.

Yet back in Philadelphia during the school year, Alex cannot suppress his anger at his father (who killed himself), his mother (whom he blames for it), and the girls who give it up too easily. His younger brother, Kyle, is angry too—at his abusive brother, and at their mother who doesn’t seem to care. Meanwhile, in suburban New Jersey, Katie plays the role of Miss Perfect while trying to forget the nightmare that changed her life. But Julie, her younger sister, sees Katie only as everything she’s not. And their mother will never let Julie forget it.

Up at the lake, they can be anything, anyone. Free. But then Katie’s secret gets out, forcing each of them to face reality—before it tears them to pieces. - From Goodreads

This book was nothing that I was expecting. From the description what I was expecting was a book about four broken teens coming together over the summer, but what I got was a book that was far more sinister. This book was a brutal look at abuse and "victims" set over the period of a year.

Katie and Julia are sisters and Katie is the star, at home and at school. Julia can't compete for her mother's love with Katie, the star cheerleader "The Pyramid Girl". Alex and Kyle's father killed himself after finding out that their mother was having an affair. During the summer Katie, Julia, Kyle and Alex all meet at their Russian Grandparent's summer houses and they have the chance to leave their normal selves behind to become Katya, Yulya, Sasha and Kostya. In the past summer and school lives have always been kept separate but soon the worlds begin to bleed together. As secrets get revealed the lives for the four of them change in ways that mean they will never be the same again.

I hit a barrier with this book almost immediately with the writing style. This book is written from the perspective of all four of the major characters. Often this can enhance the flow of a story giving the reader the opportunity to experience different perspectives. In this instance we were able to see parts of the story from different viewpoints, but I felt like switching narrator interrupted the flow of the story dragging us away from what was going on. My other issue with this was that 3 of the character's stories were written in the first person and Kyle's was written in the second person. I found this was like running into a brick wall every time I came across one of his chapters. This style was used for Kyle as he himself does not want to admit how much he is suffering, but for me the change in perspective was off putting.

It is very difficult to talk about this book without giving away too many of the plot points as they are littered through the book and spring upon you like they were laying in wait for you to get over the previous shock. I can however talk about the characters in this book. I disliked Katie at the start of the book finding her shallow, superficial and oblivious to her sister's pain. However as Katie evolved through the book and her pain she became a tragic character who became consumed with her own problems. On the other side of this we have poor ignored Julia who just wants her mother's love and approval. However as Julia starts to get some attention she becomes a cold and heartless person I had no time for.

Another character I had no time for during the whole book was Alex. I hated the way he spoke about women. He was full of hate and this pored onto the page making his chapters uncomfortable to read. We also can see that the hate that is in Alex waiting to explode manages to seep out of him every so often in sadistic ways. I could find nothing redeeming within Alex and nothing that made me think I would ever want to spend any time with him. Again Kyle for me was on the other side of this, as much as I hated how his chapters were written, he was possibly the character that I liked the most. He was broken even at the start of the book but there was a sweetness and a naivety to him that made him seem younger than he was.

I did not enjoy reading this book as the subject matter to me was very raw and brutal. Where I can see that this book tackles these issues with a sense of purpose and delivers them up with some style and grace, it was not my cup of tea. I found it a disturbing book and personally I like a little less reality and pain with my reading.

Review: New Girl by Paige Harbison

Title: New Girl
Author: Paige Harbison
Published: 31st Jan 2012
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Source: eARC thanks to NetGalley and HarlequinTeen

They call me 'New Girl'...
Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.
Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.
Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.
And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back. - From Goodreads

This book is a retelling of the story of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. If you have ever read the original book you will know that it is a dark chilling tale about a new wife stepping into the void left by the last Mrs de Winters. Rebecca is set in an old mansion called Manderley which is cared for by Mrs Danvers who was obsessed with the previous Mrs de Winters, Rebecca, and who has little time for the new Mrs de Winters. I love the story of Rebecca and "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again" is the famous opening line that always draws me back in to the book every time I pick it up.

I found this book to have the same cold and chilling feel to it, set in a cold old school called Manderly, the New girl comes in to take the place of missing Becca. No one knows where Becca is or why she left but it is clear that the other students will not be quick to forget her. The worst offender for making the new girl feel unwelcome is Dana Veers, her room mate and Becca's old room mate. Switching between the story of the new girl and Becca we see the mystery of what happened to Becca unravel before our eyes.

The interesting thing I found with this book was that as a reader I felt exactly as the new girl did. I felt shut out from what had happened. I did not know why New Girl was being shunned and I did not understand the behaviour of the other characters. As a reader this left me feeling rather isolated. However the character of New Girl and the way the story unfold pulls you along and keeps you wanting to know more. The other characters also help bring life to the story, especially Max.

I loved Max as a character. He seems quite one dimensional to begin with, as the jilted lover left alone after the disappearance of Becca, but the more the story unfolds, the more depth he has. I found some of his actions to be quite interesting and left me wanting to know more about him.

Since I was familiar with the original story, I knew the plot twist and some of the detail of what was going to happen. This in no way reduced my enjoyment of the book as this was a fresh take on a great story. The change in situation from a new wife in a manor house, to the new girl in school gave this an interesting perspective and I enjoyed reading the book from start, almost to the finish. There is one detail of the story that I loved and to me was what put Rebecca on my favourite book list, and unfortunately right at the end this is shattered for me in the book and left me feeling a little annoyed. There is a chance that I am just being picky, but for me it was a deal breaker.

This book is a great read for those familiar with Rebecca, and for those who are new to the story. A chilling high school mystery with some bad girl behaviour and a hot guy, what more can you ask for?

Review: Entangled by Cat Clarke

Title: Entangled
Author: Cat Clarke
Publisher: Quercus Publishing Plc
Published: 6th January 2011
Source: Own Kindle Copy

The same questions whirl round and round in my head:
What does he want from me?
How could I have let this happen?
AM I GOING TO DIE?

17-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with a table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got here.

As Grace pours her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling of her relationship with her best friend Sal. But there's something missing. As hard as she's trying to remember, is there something she just can't see?

Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here?

A story of dark secrets, intense friendship and electrifying attraction. - From Goodreads

I knew very little about this book when I picked it up except for the fact it has a rocking cover, the blurb on the back and the girl has the same hair colour as me! This book was nothing like I was expecting and it took me on a journey I didn't expect.

Grace has decided to take her life. Before she goes through with it in a children's playground she speaks to a stranger on the swings and before she knows it she is being taken into a van and then she wakes up in a white room with a bed, a desk, pens and a stack of paper. After a while Grace starts to write her life story not knowing how long she is going to be in the room or if she will ever get out of it alive.

This whole book is a mystery from the start and the more we learn about Grace the more we realise that her life is troubled and more messed up than even she knew. I was unsure if I liked Grace. To me she seemed selfish, right from the start when she was considering suicide I took a disliking to her. After reading the book and hearing her story I am not sure if she is just selfish or incredibly damaged.

Grace also has a problem with self harming. I had read a review on Amazon where the reviewer believes that this book glamorises cutting. To me there was no glamour involved in this and you could clearly see that after a while even grace knew she had a problem. This problem is one that Grace struggles to control and for us helps to see how she views herself. I used to know a girl who also struggled with this, to a much lesser extent as far as I knew. In a way this book helped me see that there was very little I could do for her besides be her friend.

For the whole book we are as clueless as Grace is about what is going on. Why is she locked in this room? Who is Ethan and is he helping her or keeping her captive. Information is trickled to us slowly so that we are kept as much in the dark as Grace is, however I personally felt there were lots of questions left unanswered that I really wanted to know the answer to. The writing felt raw, powerful and gritty and that was what kept me on the journey.

Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Title: Before I Fall
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2nd March 2010
Source: Own Kindle Copy

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.
Instead, it turns out to be her last.
Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing. -From Goodreads

I picked this up as it was my first Lauren Oliver book and it had a story that interested me, a sort of Groundhog day where the main character knows that each day she relives ends with her death. I really wanted to like this book and went into it with an open mind. Unfortunately something did not click for me.
Sam is a privileged teenager who has a sweet life. Hot boyfriend and a powerful group of friends who rule the school with Sam at the middle of it. After a party one night there is an accident which kills Sam, but this is not the end of her story as she gets the chance to come back time and time again to change her actions on the day of the accident.

Maybe I am too different from Sam, but I did not care for her and in all honesty did not care if she learned the valuable life lessons of repeating the same day over and over again. I found her to be quite fake at the start of the book, and thought that she had not grown at the end of her journey. I think this instant dislike of the main character meant that I never really invested in the book.

I have always thought that there could be a lot of mileage in the repeating days story, I mean I am a fan of Groundhog Day! For some reason in this book I found the storyline to be slightly dull and predictable. There was a real focus on certain things on the first day which you knew would be changed or manipulated later on during one of the repeating days. I like a bit of unpredictability in my stories. Once it was obvious that this was what was happening I felt there was little point in finishing the book (I did though as I hate leaving books unfinished!).

Following on from that, I was hoping for a really interesting ending, and while there were details in the ending that made me go "oh, that's how it fits together", I still felt the ending was very unsatisfying. I was left with a slight feeling of disappointment. I have not read any of Lauren Oliver's other books, but I will be giving Delirium a try as I do think that potentially the only reason I did not like this book was because I could not gel with the main character and that made the rest of the story fall apart for me.

Review: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Publisher: Knopf Books
Published: 28th August 2008
Source: eBook

From Goodreads:
It all starts when Nick asks Norah to be his girlfriend for five minutes. He only needs five minutes to avoid his ex-girlfriend, who’s just walked in to his band’s show. With a new guy. And then, with one kiss, Nick and Norah are off on an adventure set against the backdrop of New York City—and smack in the middle of all the joy, anxiety, confusion, and excitement of a first date.

This he said/she said romance told by YA stars Rachel Cohn and David Levithan is a sexy, funny roller coaster of a story about one date over one very long night, with two teenagers, both recovering from broken hearts, who are just trying to figure out who they want to be—and where the next great band is playing.

Told in alternating chapters, teeming with music references, humor, angst, and endearing side characters, this is a love story you’ll wish were your very own. Working together for the first time, Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have combined forces to create a book that is sure to grab readers of all ages and never let them go.

Review:
A life lesson I live by is that anyone who likes or can reference My So-Called Life gets my vote. Well this book had two!! I saw the film before I read the book and love it, so I knew the story before I picked up the book.

This is a story which takes place through the course of one evening and each chapter alternates between Nick and Nora. The writing style is fun and light and runs along bringing you with it. I found this very easy and compelling and managed to finish the book very quickly. I liked the book better than the film. The alternating aspects gave you a better view of the situations... however there were times when this insight did make me want to shake the characters and yell at them!

There are also lots of pop culture and music references peppered through this book. I know lots of books try and veer away from references so as not to age the story. I may have been just the right age when I read this, but I got all of the references (or maybe I missed some and didn't even notice) and I felt that this increased my enjoyment of the book and did not hinder it.

I liked both the characters of Nick and Nora and often at times I really related to Nora and felt that her actions were very similar to something I probably would have done myself. If you want a light and feel good read I would recommend picking up this book. I will leave you with some fantastic quotes and let you all know that I love Jordan Catalano!

I kind of hate Nick right now, too, but there's someone else higher on my list, someone I hate more than Saddam Hussein and any asshole named Bush combined, hate more than that fuckhead who cancelled My So-Called Life and left me with too-small boxed DVD set that does not answer the questions of whether Angela and Jordan Catalano ever did it, or if Patty and Graham got a divorce, or if there really was something to all that lesbian subtext between Rayanne and Sharon.

If Caroline were here, we could dissect Nick via My So-Called Life Script/ Jordan Catalano moments.

Review: Jane by April Linder

Title: Jane
Author: April Linder
Publisher: Poppy
Published: 23rd September 2010
Source: eBook

Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, an iconic rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer, and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance. But there's a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane's much-envied relationship with Nico is tested by a torturous secret from his past.
Part irresistible romance and part darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic Jane Eyre promises to enchant a new generation of readers.

I LOVE Jane Eyre. It is the perfect novel to pick up on a cold day and I usually manage to read it start to finish curled up in my armchair in a couple of days. Bearing this in mind I was quite excited to jump into this book and see how it could be retold based in modern day. Jane Eyre the quiet and awkward governess becomes Jane Moore the collage student who takes a nanny job after the death of her parents makes her unable to continue her studies. Mr Rochester becomes Nico Rathburn rock god with a troubled past. I had a little difficulty with the Mr Rochester character. I the original book Rochester is a difficult and mean man with a teasing and charming side to him. In Jane Eyre it works and through the reading of the story you fall in love with his character but for me Nico Rathburn was difficult, mean and teased Jane but I found it impossible to find him charming.

This was not the only the only thing I had problems with in this novel. If you have not read Jane Eyre and know nothing about the story, this next paragraph my spoil part of the plot for you!!

One of my favorite things about the book is that it has something for everyone, an awkward romance, a crazy wife locked in the attic, a smattering of attempted bigamy, death and good old fashioned arson. This all worked for the time period it was set in. You could understand only 2 people knowing that Mr Rochester had a crazy wife locked in the attic. However I did not feel that this played so well in the present day, especially when the main character lives in the public eye and he was married to a beautiful woman. For me this was just too much of a jump that everyone forgot he was married before.

With all that out of my system I did not dislike this book. I thought that the rest of the story was well told for the present day. I especially enjoyed the period later on in the book where Jane was apart from Nico. I think this book would be a great introduction to Jane Eyre for anyone interested in the story. On the whole I enjoy reworkings of classic books, unfortunately I think this classic is just to close to my heart for me to be completely on board with all the modernisations.

Review: Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

Title: Going Too Far
Author: Jennifer Echols
Publisher: Pocket Books/MTV Books
Published: 17th march 2009
Source: Own eBook on my Kindle

All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far...and almost doesn't make it back.
John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won't soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won't be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge -- and over....

I finished reading this book about 5 minutes ago and even though I have a number of other books waiting for review I just couldn't wait to share my thoughts on Going Too Far. Without making you wait for my thoughts I absolutely loved this book. I devoured this from the very first page and I could not put it down. This was one of those books that even when I was not reading it I was thinking about it. If I thought I could get away with having spent the day working today on no sleep I would have pulled an all nighter last night to finish it. This is one of those books that I will be pushing on anyone I, even remotely, think might like it.

The main character is Meg. A feisty girl with bright blue hair and a habit of getting into trouble. The book begins with her trespassing on a railway bridge, drunk and stoned. After having to spend the night in jail, thanks to Officer After, Meg ends up with a unique punishment. Meg has to spend her Spring Break doing night shift ride along with Officer John After. Quickly Meg finds out that Officer After is only a few years older than herself and they begin to bond.

I really liked Meg as a character. She makes lots of mistakes and is flawed in that she has serious panic attacks whenever she feels trapped. This spills over into her feeling trapped in her own town and life leaving her eager to do whatever she can to get into Collage and out of her town. Meg never feels sorry for herself or complains about her situation and to me I thought that this was what made the book so enjoyable. You follow Meg through her story just hoping and praying that she wont say or do the worst.

Can I also just shout about the romance in this book. Fantastic!! The relationship which builds between Officer After and Meg through the whole book is brilliant. Quickly they are able to go from them wanting each other and then something is said or done and before you know it they are arguing, usually for one of them to save face. I found myself on a number of occasions wanting to shout at the characters and give them a good talking too. Then when the passion was building between them it was hot. I loved it.

I came late to this book, and more than a few young adult fans will probably have already read it, so all I can say is if you have not read this book go and get it now!! I loved it!!

Review: Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

Title: Some Girls Are
Author: Courtney Summers
Publisher: St Martin's Griffin
Published: 5th January 2010
Source: Own Copy

Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hard—falling from it is even harder. Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High... until vicious rumors about her and her best friend's boyfriend start going around. Now Regina's been "frozen out" and her ex-best friends are out for revenge. If Regina was guilty, it would be one thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth and the bullying is getting more intense by the day. She takes solace in the company of Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past who she herself used to bully. Friendship doesn't come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael could be more than just a friend... if threats from the Fearsome Foursome don't break them both first.
Tensions grow and the abuse worsens as the final days of senior year march toward an explosive conclusion in this dark new tale from the author of Cracked Up To Be.

I have said this before and I will say it again, I love the writing of Courtney Summers. It is bold and in your face and nothing is held back for fear of scaring off the reader. All of the characters Courtney Summers writes are deeply flawed but the main protagonist always grows on me. This book was certainly no different. Everything I loved about Cracked Up To Be I also found in Some Girls Are. In no way is that me saying that this is the same book repackaged, what I loved about both books was the writing, the rich characters and the raw, and sometimes brutal, story lines.

Regina Afton is one of the popular mean girls of her school until her best friend's boyfriend tries to rape her at a party. Turning to the one girl in her clique that hates her Regina decides to say nothing and forget it ever happened. Unfortunately when she returns to school the one person she turned to has started the rumour that Regina willingly slept with her best friend's boyfriend. Regina is left isolated and friendless in a school of peers who Regina and her old clique used to prey on.

Some of the tactics used by Regina's old clique to hurt her physically and mentally are horrible. You begin to hope that in the end some of Regina's own small payback schemes work. I loved this book and all of the characters in it, even some of the characters that seem evil to the core. I found this book incredibly difficult to put down and I am looking forward to the next reading of this novel. This is definitely a book which will stay on my shelf forever.

Review: Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers

Title: Cracked Up To Be
Author: Courtney Summers
Publisher: St Martin's Griffin
Published: Dec 23rd 2008
Source: Own Copy

When "Perfect" Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St. Peter's High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher's pet, and future valedictorian fallen so far from grace?
Parker doesn't want to talk about it. She'd just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her conselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there's a nice guy falling in love with her and he's making her feel things again when she'd really rather not be feeling anything at all.
Nobody would have guessed she'd turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth.
Something horrible has happened, and it just might be her fault.

I have heard lots of good things surrounding the writing of Courtney Summers. I thought this may just be hype but none the less I was excited to begin her début novel. I was not expecting what I got...

Reading this book was like jumping into cold water. It hits you like a punch to the stomach you were not expecting. Once you give in to the bluntness of the writing and just go with the flow this is a book which grips you until the last word. The book takes off and drops you right into the middle of the story with no explanation. You learn little by little the events of the past which influence the behaviour of the main character. The writer gives away only a fraction of the past events at a time, making it feel like you have earned the whole story once you reach the end.

The book focuses on Parker Fadley who is a complete bitch and has made a decision to discard her friends, cheerleading and has been coming into school drunk causing her perfect grades to plummet As a person Parker is deeply flawed and is suffering after the events of a horrific night. In an attempt to distance herself from everyone around her decides to be as self destructive as possible. For me this makes her an incredibly real and likeable character who I can begin to imagine having conversations with throughout my day. She does not complain or feel sorry for herself and she knows that she is hurting the people around her however justifies most of her actions. Each of the characters in this book are written into life and I feel just as real as the people I work with.

The events held within the pages of this book don't unfold as much as they just happen and you are expected to accept them and move on. There is no hand holding with this story, it is delivered to you and you can either like it or leave it. I picked this book up one evening expecting to read only a few pages but I found it very difficult to put down. I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a little more bite with their book.