Review: Easy by Tammara Webber

Title: Easy
Author: Tammara Webber
Published: 6th November 2012
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Source: Own Copy

He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her saviour…
The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.
Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth—and find the unexpected power of love. - From Goodreads.

I loved this book so much. How do I talk about it without going into to much detail and giving away the story? This was not a nice story, but it was one that stayed with me weeks after having finished the book. The subject matter dealt with in this book was handled cleverly, keeping it as the focus of the story, but not dwelling on it too much or similarly dismissing it. I feel like I am talking in circles here, but I just loved this book so much.

When Jacqueline is almost attacked, she thinks her life can't get any worse. She has just been dumped by her long term boyfriend and now she is attacked outside his fraternity house while a party goes on inside. Lucas comes to her aid, a boy who Jacqueline shares a class with but has never noticed before. Lucas has noticed Jacqueline however and this horrific night is one that will stay with both of them for ever.

Jacqueline and Lucas were such well written characters that I loved both of them form the start. The chemistry between them sizzled off the page and these characters kept me reading from the first page. The storyline was delicate and handled extremely well with the right amount of action to make this an enjoyable and thrilling read.

Jacqueline is a complex character who develops and grows stronger and more confident as the story progresses. She starts as someone who has had her self-confidence smashed at the beginning with her boyfriend of 3 years breaking up with her. This is someone that she has followed to school Felicity style and suddenly she is alone. Lucas is the kind of character that builds someone up and reading about him made me wish I had known someone exactly like him when I was at university.

I can't believe I had this on my kindle for so long before I read it. An amazing, fantastic and toe curling, piece of "new adult" contemporary fiction that I will probably read again soon. I can't wait to read anything else written by Tammara Webber!!

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: Hushed by Kelley York

Title: Hushed
Author: Kelley York
Published: 6th December 2011
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Source: eARC (thank you Netgalley and Entangled Publishing)

He’s saved her. He’s loved her. He’s killed for her.

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he’s never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another—Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who’s ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer’s committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn’t get what she wants… And what she wants is Evan’s death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption. - From Goodreads

I had read a few things about this book before I started it and I was excited to read it as it sounded like an all out thriller. Archer has always looked out for Vivian and does what he thinks is in her best interest, even if that means killing! When Archer meets Evan he starts to let his walls fall and starts to build the relationship he has always wanted from Vivian. The only problem is that Vivian does not want to share Archer with anyone and she will go to some extreme lengths!

Right from the start I felt that Archer reminded me of a young Dexter Morgan! Cold and detached, the only time we see any kind of emotion from Archer is when he is with Vivian and trying to comfort her. I did not like particularly like Archer as a character as I disliked his actions and, as I have said, I found him cold and distant. That being said I thought he was one of the most interesting characters I have read in a long time.

Then there was Evan and Vivian. It seemed obvious right from the start that Vivian is bad news. she completely manipulates Archer and most of the other people around her. It also seems like she ends up in one destructive relationship after another! Evan on the other hand is a sweet and nice guy who has no ulterior motives past wanting to be with Archer. I really enjoyed that Archer was torn between sweet Evan and Vivian, who he has had on a pedestal for years.

I thought that the tone of this book was much more serious than anything I had read in a while. For me the characters were what kept me reading and involved to the end. I thought the story running through the book was quite dark and disturbing, but I enjoyed it and I liked seeing it spiralling out of control. The only part of the story I had an issue with was Evan and Archer towards the end of the book. I think Evan's reactions were nowhere close to a "normal" person's reaction. That spoiled it a little for me, but I loved the ending I thought it was exciting and tense and I was satisfied by the last page.

I enjoyed this book and was only let down by the minor points above. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys thrillers, lgbt fiction or contemporary fiction.

Review: Raw Blue By Kirsty Eagar

Title: Raw Blue
Author: Kirsty Eagar
Publisher: Penguin Books Australia
Published: 29th June 2009
Source: Own Copy

Carly has dropped out of uni to spend her days surfing and her nights working as a cook in a Manly café. Surfing is the one thing she loves doing … and the only thing that helps her stop thinking about what happened two years ago at schoolies week.

And then Carly meets Ryan, a local at the break, fresh out of jail. When Ryan learns the truth, Carly has to decide. Will she let the past bury her? Or can she let go of her anger and shame, and find the courage to be happy? - From Goodreads

Raw is the perfect word in this title. The whole book is raw like an open wound with emotion dripping from every page. If there is one book I could give a hug and a cup of sweet tea to then this would be it! Look at it, even the cover is beautiful!

This is the story of a girl who at the start of the book is just trying to survive day to day. Every day for Carly is surfing and working to make the money she needs to surf. The back story of Carly's trauma is slowly revealed through the book, but it does not feel like this is being kept a secret from us, more like Carly is telling when she can.

The other characters in the book are also amazing and only add to the story. While on the subject of the other characters - Ryan!! Why can't I have my own Ryan? It is easy to see why Ryan keeps Carly afloat, he is charming, supportive, patient and smoking hot!! 

Right from the get go this is an extremely Australian book, using what can only be described as Australian sounds. I thought this was funny and my years of watching Neighbours and Home and Away when I was younger paid off. I also think that these years of viewing Home and Away made me think that surfing is super cool. I have no knowledge of surfing or any of the lingo but I never felt confused about the surfing talk.

I loved this book so much I think it will forever bin in my top 5 books. If you have not read it yet then out down whatever you are doing and get yourself a copy!