Review: My Life Next Door

Title: My Life Next Door

Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Source: Purchased

Goodreads Summary and Cover:

A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another

“One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over.

Thoughts:
Oh, mercy! I loved this book so very much! Jase and Samantha were great characters. Their relationship, from the beginning of the book until the end, was fantastic! I appreciated that they both accepted one another for who they were and not based on their families and what was said about the families. They were both hard workers and had goals. Samantha, who didn't need to work, did. She even helped out and babysat for the Garretts when it was needed.

Tim was a great secondary character. A druggie, but good guy, who gets his act together because of the Garretts.

Nan, Samantha's best friend, disappointed me. Big time.

I also felt sorry for Grace, Samantha's mom, especially at the end. She wouldn't have ended up like she was if it wasn't for Clay. Stupid Clay!

With all books, you know there's going to be some twist. Something bad. A break-up. Something! This book, like all others, had those. It was done well and wasn't cheesy like it could have been. The bad thing that happened, was truly bad. It truly affected all of the characters, not just the main character.

Rating:

My Life Next Door was a perfect read!

My Life Next Door is also a standalone book. This one takes the place of another I had read and reviewed but has been picked up as a trilogy!

Top 10 Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2013

Thank you to Rachel from Fiktshun, Lisa from A Life Bound By Books, Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic, Jaime from Two Chicks on Books, and Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy Reads! 

Thank you ladies!

Well, today wraps up the Top 10 of 2012 and we finish it off with our top 10 books we're looking forward to in 2013. These are books releasing in 2013! I have sooooo many, but there are many series ending, and I think those are possibly my tops. I am sad to see so many stories wrapping up, but I do love some closure!

Apollyon & Sentinel by Jennifer L. Armentrout (April & Dec.)

The Covenant Series is a 5 book series. These 2 books are the last 2 and will wrap it up in December of 2013. I feel myself drooling a bit when I think of the possibilities and scared, too, for what may happen. War against the gods, y'all!

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake (Sept.)

This one just sounds so interesting! I loved Anna Dressed in Blood. Looking forward to seeing more from Kendare.

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen (June)

It's Sarah Dessen. I love Sarah Dessen! That's all the reason I need to have it in my grabby hands on release day.

Dare You To by Katie McGarry (May)

The follow-up to Pushing the Limits, featuring Beth. Tough girl Beth! Plus, that cover is smokin'!

The Girl With the Iron Touch by Kady Cross (May)

I have really loved the Steampunk Chronicles! I am super excited to read more of that world and see what happens with Emily! She's been a great secondary character, but it's awesome that this one's going to focus on her! She's spunky!

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins (May)

I adore Stephanie Perkins! She has written two great contemporaries and I expect Isla to be amazing!

*No cover yet*

Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins (April)

The sequel to Sweet Evil. More Kaiden. Kai! Enough said!

Just One Year by Gayle Forman (?)

The companion novel to Just One Day. We will be getting Willem's point of view. He's got some 'splainin' to do!

*No cover yet*

The Collector by Victoria Scott (April)

Dante Walker. That's all I can say about it. Dante Walker.

The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (?)

I HAVE to know what happened. Must know how it ends!!! This is the 3rd and final book in the series.

*No cover yet*

Requiem by Lauren Oliver (March)

The 3rd and final book in the Delirium series. After the CLIFFHANGER in the second book, Pandemonium, there are so many things that I need to know. And who she is going to chooooooose!!!!

Okay, so that was a list of 11. It could have been a MUCH longer list!

Are you looking forward to any of these?

This has been a fun, but stressful, week of blog topics! :) It's been fun and a learning experience. For 2013, I know I need to read a lot of 2013 releases so I can have more books to choose from for some of the topics. I hope everyone's enjoyed my choices!

Top 10 of 2012: Best Book Boyfriends

Thank you to Rachel from Fiktshun, Lisa from A Life Bound By Books, Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic, Jaime from Two Chicks on Books, and Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy Reads! 

Thank you ladies!

So, yesterday's list of Best Couples just about did me in. In retrospect, I probably should have chosen a different topic since there were several options. Alas! I ended up with 7 and I'm happy with those 7. :)

Today's list is Best Book Boyfriends. Well, I could probably say that EVERY book I read has a great book boyfriend in it. I find so many fictional guys very swoon-worthy! I think my big problem of 2012 is that I didn't read a lot of 2012 releases! I have learned my lesson for 2013. Read a lot of 2013 releases so I can have super amazing lists next year! :)

I do have some pretty amazing fellas on my 2012 list. Hope you think so, too!

Aiden St. Delphi from Deity/Elixir (The Covenant Series) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I would go into servitude to be with him. Bring on the elixir!

Augustus Waters from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Sweet, sweet, SWEET guy! He did all that he could to make Hazel live her life. He was such a fun character!

Cal from Spell Bound (Hex Hall Series) by Rachel Hawkins

He's a healer. He cared for Sophia. He was supposed to be with Sophia! The sacrifice he made to save her...so...ahhh!!! Sweet guy.

Daemon Black from Onyx (The Lux Series) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I didn't have Daemon and Katy on my best couples list. I have only read the first 2 books and they haven't made it as a couple (yet??) in those. I think it happens in Opal, but that would have been cheating a bit to put them as a couple.

Anyway, Daemon is the resident hottie with an attitude. He's melting, though, when it comes to Kitten...errr...Katy! Plus, when I see Pepe, the cover model for Daemon, I just kind of become mute and start drooling. Works for me!

Kaidan Rowe from Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy) by Wendy Higgins

Oh. Sweet. Baby J. Yes, he's a bad influence. A bad boy. However, he's not a bad guy! I can't wait to see what happens with Kai and Anna. Can. Not. Wait!

Noah Shaw from The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer Series) by Michelle Hodkin

He's a hottie. He's a hottie who cares. He's a hottie who cares and went to the nuthouse for the girl he loves!

Perry from Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky Series) by Veronica Rossi

Oooo, Perry! He is a protector and helped Aria. That makes him A-OK in my book! I can't wait to see more of Perry in the second book, Through the Ever Night. I'm sure he will be having me swoon quickly.

Prince Kai from Cinder (Lunar Chronicles) by Marissa Meyer

I absolutely fell in love with Kai as I read Cinder.He was so sweet and kind to Cinder. When he found out what she was, I was sad at his reaction. However, I have read an ARC of Scarlet and I'm not giving up hope for him! He wasn't totally repulsed by her. He actually kind of cheers/is relieved for her at one point. I'm not giving up hope!!!

Rowan from Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Something about a mysterious guy. Especially a cute, mysterious guy! Rowan was helpful to Bria, even though he didn't quite intend for her to be along on the trip with them. He helped her experience traveling as she should have as a young woman.

Zachary Moore from Shine (Shade Series) by Jeri Smith-Ready

Scot. Accent. Kilt. Need I say more? Didn't think so!

**edit 8:08PM**

I just HAVE to add Hector from The Crown of Embers (Fire and Thorns Series) by Rae Carson to this list. I can't let the day get by and not do it. I am actually currently reading this book and dear Lord! Help me! "Always."

Hope y'all enjoy my list and share some of my boyfriend love!

Review: The Six Rules of Maybe

Title: The Six Rules of Maybe
Author: Deb Caletti
Source: Purchased

Goodreads Summary and Cover: 

Scarlet Hughes is overly involved in the lives of everyone around her, and exceptionally interested in the habits of her neighbors. But Scarlet is thrust solidly into her own life when her sister, Juliet, returns home from school—pregnant and surprisingly married to a sweet, handsome man whom she seems to have no interest in, but who is hopelessly in love with her. Forced to take a look inward for the first time, Scarlet discovers the necessity of dreams, as well as the necessity of facing reality and speaking the truth.

*I corrected the spelling of Scarlet's name. It's not with 2 t's, Goodreads.*

Thoughts:
Have you ever read a book and liked/disliked it, and you couldn't put your finger on why? That's kind of what it feels like for me with this book.

For The Six Rules of Maybe, I definitely closed the book with a strong like for it. Scarlet was a normal, teenage girl. I could honestly relate to her with her "designated listener" status and Introvert ways. I don't have a sister, so I can't say I've ever crushed on a brother-in-law. :) The way that she felt left out and a sibling received better treatment...oh, yeah! I could see that as a teenager.

Scarlet was worried through the whole book that her sister was going to leave her husband for the skeevy ex-boyfriend. She also thought her sister couldn't love this super sweet guy and thought he was more her type. Hey, even I developed a crush on Hayden! I loved the little notes Hayden left for Juliet. So did Scarlet...the little peeper! :) I don't blame her, though.

I loved that Scarlet had the relationships she did with the neighbors. The old, senile retired Postal Worker, the goth girl, the older couple next door who kept reading scam emails (LOL!), and even her dislike for the little boys and their mother.

There were 2 things that kind of bothered me about this book. One, the language. I understand that language sometimes "fits" the story. Some of the language in this one just felt forced and wrong to me. The other thing was the way that Scarlet and her friends just dropped each other over the summer. What kind of friend's mother tells her they should take a break because of a boy?!? Lame.

Rating:

Despite the language and the lapse of judgement of the girls' friendship, I really did enjoy this story. Finding out what Juliet's hold up was and the end...the bond that Scarlet and Hayden had...was special.

The Six Rules of Maybe satisfies part of the Completely Contemporary Challenge!

Top 10 of 2012: Best Couples

Thank you to Rachel from Fiktshun, Lisa from A Life Bound By Books, Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic, Jaime from Two Chicks on Books, and Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy Reads! 

Thank you ladies!

I think this could be the hardest list I've come up with so far this week. The books I read tend to be all over the place and no particular genre is consistent with me. Some couples are okay to me, but I may not care for one of the characters completely. Or, I may not have cared for the book. Or, the most popular one, I just haven't seemed to have read a lot of 2012 books this year!

Anyway, time to get started!

Alex(andria) Andros and Aiden St. Delphi - Deity AND Elixir (Covenant Series) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Just hands down. They could possibly be my favorite couple. She's fiesty. He's swoony. They love each other, no matter the rules.

Mara Dyer and Noah Shaw - The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The two of these characters together make sense. They have a connection that they didn't even realize existed. Noah is so good for Mara. I mean, he went to the nuthouse for her!!! :)

Aura Salvatorre and Zachary Moore - Shine by Jeri Smith-Ready

This pair has been through so much together in this series. Boyfriend ghost, crazy corporation, etc... The B&B scene will always be in my mind. Woo!

Anna Whitt and Kaidan Rowe - Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Although they're not truly a couple, I have high hopes for the series to get them together! Hehe What time they spent together, the sparks were amazing!

Sophia Mercer and Archer Cross - Spell Bound (Hex Hall) by Rachel Hawkins

Ohhh, these two had such a great chemistry from the moment they met. They weren't meant to be together, but they made it happen.

Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters - The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Two kids found each other in a Cancer therapy group. The instant click that they had, and the friendship/relationship they developed actually had me envious! I still want to curse at the ending of the book.

Hadley Sullivan and Oliver - The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Falling in love on an airplane traveling to Europe. Yes, please! I want to try it to see if it could happen to me!

And here's where I run into a problem. I can't list 10! I have spent my year reading a lot of books, but not all are from 2012. When I looked back through my reading list, I have read so many books published in the past couple of years. 

I'm still trying to get caught up! I own a ton of 2012 books, but I just haven't read them yet. When I look at the titles, I know that the characters would probably be on this list if I had gotten to them already.

So, I hope you enjoy my list of 7!

Top 10 of 2012: Best Covers

Thank you to Rachel from Fiktshun, Lisa from A Life Bound By Books, Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic, Jaime from Two Chicks on Books, and Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy Reads! 

Thank you ladies!

Today's topic is best covers of 2012 published books. So many pretties and interesting covers this year!

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

Grave Mercy by R.L. LaFevers

In Honor by Jessi Kirby

Jelly Bean Crisis, The by Jolene Stockman 

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

It appears that I've fallen in line with the "girls in dresses" theme. Hah! These are all so pretty to me for various reasons. I still haven't read all of these, but the covers of the ones I haven't, are sitting on my shelf to read. I have to buy the pretty books!

Top 10 of 2012: Best Read

**I forgot to post the hostesses originally! So sorry about that!**

Thank you to Rachel from Fiktshun, Lisa from A Life Bound By Books, Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic, Jaime from Two Chicks on Books, and Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy Reads! 

Thank you ladies!

I forget how many books I have read when it's time to sit down and make a list. This is actually my first post with a list...and I'm kind of nervous! These 10 books have various reasons of being my tops, but know that I loved so many more books this year!!! It's really difficult to decide. If you know me, decisions are definitely not my strong suit. Hehehe

So, here it is, in ALPHABETICAL ORDER!!! (Yeah, I just shouted that out for you!) Hope y'all loved these as much as I!

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson - This was such a fun read for me. I enjoyed Amy & Roger, practically strangers, traveling across the country and the outcome of that trip's detours. (Haha! See what I did there?)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer - A retelling of Cinderella? A futuristic, cyborb Cinderella?!? The Disney girl inside of me was kind of a skeptic, but it ended up being a fantastic read!

Deity (and the whole Covenant series, really) by Jennifer L. Armentrout - So. Good! I understand the comparison of Half-Blood to Vampire Academy, but that's really where the similarities end. Read the rest of the released books if you haven't. You'll see!

Every Day by David Levithan - I loved the idea of A waking up as a different person and accepting life each day. The relationship A developed with Rhiannon was interesting and I was quite pleased with the ending, regardless of how many times I re-read the ending to make sure that's what really happened.

Evolution of Mara Dyer, The by Michelle Hodkin - Another great sequel. Holy cliff-hanger, though! I'm still in denial.

Fault in Our Stars, The by John Green - Tears. So many tears.

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund - This was an interesting twist on Jane Austen's Persuasion. The romance, jealousy, and twists made it so worthy! I can't wait to read more from Diana.

Just One Day by Gayle Forman - This was an ARC I won from the publisher and I am so glad! The story started out a little slow for me. When it started going, I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough! I can probably say right now that Just One Year could possibly be on my list next year!

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer - I could have possibly "cheated" and put this with Cinder, but I thought I should be fair. I won an ARC from the publisher of Scarlet. This was an amazing sequel! Cinder and Little Red Riding Hood are a couple of kick booty girls!

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez - My list wouldn't be complete without an artsy kind of book, would it? Heck no! Virtuosity takes the crown this year for artsy books. A story of a violinist and the stress and never-ending competitiveness in the music world? Yes.

Review: The Education of Hailey Kendrick

Title: The Education of Hailey Kendrick
Author: Eileen Cook
Source: Purchashed

Goodreads Summary & Cover:

Hailey Kendrick always does exactly what's expected of her. She has the right friends, dates the perfect boy, gets good grades, and follows all the rules. But one night, Hailey risks everything by breaking a very big rule in a very public way...and with a very unexpected partner in crime. Hailey gets caught, but her accomplice does not, and Hailey takes the fall for both of them.

Suddenly, Hailey's perfect life--and her reputation--are blowing up in her face. Her friends are all avoiding her. Her teachers don't trust her. Her boyfriend won't even speak to her for long enough to tell her that she's been dumped.

They say honesty is the best policy--but some secrets are worth keeping, no matter the cost. Or are they?

Thoughts:
This was a super fun read! I enjoyed the character, Hailey. She has legit whiny reasons without being a whiny, obnoxious character.

I appreciated how she took the fall for the incident that happened without ever calling out the other party. She had compassion and no ill-will toward him.

The only thing that I found unbelievable was the relationship with Hailey and her best friend...and ex-boyfriend. If you've read the book, or read the book, you'll know what I mean. Maybe I'm just catty. Hehehe

Drew...working his way to Yale at a boarding school. He was a great guy and great for Hailey on her path of punishment and self-discovery.

This was my first Eileen Cook read and I will definitely be checking out more of her books!

Rating:

The Education of of Hailey Kendrick was a fun read. I enjoyed it and would definitely suggest it as a light and quick contemporary read.

The Education of Hailey Kendrick satisfies part of the Completely Contemporary Challenge!