Lauren Reviews The Leaving by Tara Altebrando

The Leaving by Tara Altebrando
Published: June 2016 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 3 Stars

Six were taken. Eleven years later, five come back -- with no idea of where they've been.

Eleven years ago, six kindergarteners went missing without a trace. After all that time, the people left behind moved on, or tried to.

Until today. Today five of those kids return. They're sixteen, and they are... fine. Scarlett comes home and finds a mom she barely recognizes, and doesn't really recognize the person she's supposed to be, either. But she thinks she remembers Lucas. Lucas remembers Scarlett, too, except they're entirely unable to recall where they've been or what happened to them. Neither of them remember the sixth victim, Max. He doesn't come back. Everyone wants answers. Most of all Max's sister Avery, who needs to find her brother -- dead or alive -- and isn't buying this whole memory-loss story.

I liked this book for what it was - six children disappeared and five later returned. I enjoyed the mystery along with the characters. Their memories seems to be wiped clean. Some were sure they wanted to know where they had been and a couple thought maybe it was best they didn't know. I'd want to know. I'd want to know who to kick in the nads for stealing so much of my childhood from me. 

The characters were well rounded and you could easily follow their evolution from naive teenagers to adults facing their past, one thing most of us find extremely hard to do. I think I liked Avery the most. She was not one of the taken who was brought back. She was one that lived her life with this hanging over her head. Her brother was taken, but was not brought back like the others. She wanted so badly to know where her brother was and what the truth was. Was it aliens? Was is a psycho kidnapper? Maybe mad scientists who conduct experiments on children to make super human teenagers? You could go on and on with all of the possibilities, but Avery wasn't buying the memory-story and wanted to get down to the facts. Where was her brother? Why did this horrible incident rear its ugly face again, eleven years later? You've got to admire a teen who not only faces reality, but does it with the sort of determination that should make any parent proud.

The only think that kept this book from getting a higher rating is the ending. It honestly was a good book and I'm glad to have gotten the chance to read it. I think that my love of the sci-fi and horror genres have started to run YA books for me. I expect more outrageous or unconventional endings these days, and this book was too realistic for my taste of late. If you're looking for a thrilling YA novel full of mystery, I'd suggest you pick this one up. You won't be disappointed.

Daisy's Review of The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall

Title/Author: The Conspiracy of Us (The Conspiracy of Us #1) by Maggie Hall
Publisher/Date published: Putnam Juvenile, January 13th 2015
How I got this book: bought it

Goodreads summary: Avery West's newfound family can shut down Prada when they want to shop in peace, and can just as easily order a bombing when they want to start a war. Part of a powerful and dangerous secret society called the Circle, they believe Avery is the key to an ancient prophecy. Some want to use her as a pawn. Some want her dead.

To unravel the mystery putting her life in danger, Avery must follow a trail of clues from the monuments of Paris to the back alleys of Istanbul with two boys who work for the Circle — beautiful, volatile Stellan and mysterious, magnetic Jack. But as the clues expose a stunning conspiracy that might plunge the world into World War 3, she discovers that both boys are hiding secrets of their own. Now she will have to choose not only between freedom and family - but between the boy who might help her save the world, and the one she's falling in love with.

So this was a book I read with my book club, which is awesome, but this book was a HUGE disappointment. I mean, wow, it was one of my most anticipated books of 2015 and it was just... BAD.

I mean, I still gave it 2 stars on Goodreads, but honestly, that's mostly because it's just hilaribad. It was so bad at times that it was hilarious and endlessly entertaining (though not in the way it was meant to be if I might guess) and it was fun to rant aobut it with my book club girls ;)

Where to start? There are just so many cliches/mistakes/just plain weird stuff that will make people cringe:
-PURPLE EYES. I mean, honestly, haven't we moved past this? And also, if purple eyes aren't speshul snowflake enough, she's the only GIRL with purple eyes. I mean. UGH.
-She has multiple boys chasing after her and doesn't know why, cause 'she's not beautiful'. I. Wow. Please show this girl how to work a mirror.
-A very disproportional body on one of the guys, whose feet touch the floor when he's sitting on a barstool. If he's not a giant, this doesn't work.
-Obviously you're not going to be recognized when you're on the run and you wear a big hat. Or start making out. I mean, OBVIOUSLY.
-Also, at one point it's mentioned that there are 12 hours in a day. *headdesk*
-Being soaked through after standing in the rain for all of 5 seconds.

I could seriously go on. And on. Which is what we did when discussing this at book club, but the point is: while these things were cringe-worthy, Maggie Hall did make me keep reading. I just kept hoping this would get better and the writing STYLE isn't the problem, but mostly the plot and the clichés that had been overused before this book came out.
Aside from one pretty steamy scene, I wasn't much rooting for the romance either, but wow, Maggie Hall is very much able to create the sexyness, but I would have liked to swoon for the boy before getting to this part. To be fair: there's not much happening beside maybe a kiss, but it was VERY sexy.

Basically what I'm saying is that this book was a bit of a hot mess, but it did have entertainment value. Just don't expect it to be the YA Da Vinci Code or anything, like it was originally marketed.

My rating: 1,5 stars

Daisy's Review of Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Title/Author: Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
Publisher/Date published: Dutton, August 14th 2014
How I got this book: bought a shiny hardcover

Goodreads summary: Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last?

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.

So we read Isla for Book Club October and it was AMAZING! 3 of us loved it and our fourth member not so much, she actually DNF-ed it, but we still gushed about it over dinner (sorry Mel!). It was probably one of the most anticipated books of 2014 and it was very much worth the wait!

Let me start off by saying that I'm a huge fan of Stephanie Perkins' writing. She manages to pull me into the story and it just flows and I wanted to keep reading and had me laughing and going NOOOOOO!!! and just made me FEEL everything. It was awesome.

I liked Isla, she and Josh made sense together and the way their relationship developed felt real. And then they were blissfully happy and I was like: we have over half of the book left, this has to go wrong somehow right?? And it did. And it was painful and I wanted to shake Isla and tell her to stop sabotaging her relationship and just OMG I could just SEE it go down like that and it was awful.
But the book isn't called Isla and the Happily Ever After to mess with you, it's really a happy ending and I adored it. It was sweet and just fit Isla and Josh's personality and their bond and it made me swoon and just all the happy sighs.

I really liked the way sex was handled in this book. It was realistic and even though it's obviously a big deal, it wasn't overly so. Am I making sense? It was just a natural part of their relationship and also: I can now never look at bunnies the same way again (you'll know what I mean if you've read the book), so thanks for that.

I also loved the return of Anna, Etienne, Cricket and Lola, I so love those characters, especially Etienne with his 'Anna and I are headed out for a celebratory dessert. I'd ask you all to join us, but I don't want you there', AWESOME. If Anna one day decides she doesn't want him anymore, I volunteer to soothe his broken heart!

I could probably go on and on about all the things I loved about Isla and the Happily Ever After, especially after re-reading some of the quotes (which are all AMAZING), but I'm just going to say this: READ THIS BOOK. And Anna and the French Kiss (which is still my favourite of the 3 and now I'm dying to re-read it) and Lola and the Boy Next Door and let them make your heart happy, like they did mine.

My rating: 5 stars

Easing My Way into Contemporary Lit

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about what I've been reading lately.  At that point, it was mostly essays, non-fiction, and toying with the idea of a novella.  Unfortunately, things haven't improved with my surroundings.  But I finally got going with some contemporary novels that were and are really doing it for me.  I am a little bit surprised by this because I was really hesitant to read much of anything that wasn't a classic or wasn't a contemporary piece on the Rory Gilmore reading list.  Mostly because I'm picky and I don't want to waste my time with something that just isn't worth it.  I still feel that way, but I don't have such a narrow view on what I should consider picking up.

As I try to trace the evolution of this development, I have hazy thoughts about its beginning.  I think it started with me picking up the latest IT book for the past couple of years.  Whenever a book was super, super hyped, I'd wind up buying a copy, believing that it was going to be really great.  The few times I started reading the book, I felt let down.  A couple of others, I wound up setting in the donate pile without ever cracking the cover.  I beat myself up over this for a while, but I finally accepted it, forgave myself, and moved on.  Because life is too short, especially to be beating yourself up about something you love doing!

Ever the optimist, I kept trying.  I'd still look at the latest IT book, but I wouldn't necessarily knee-jerk buy it.  I'd read the synopsis.  Sometimes I'd wait for the hysteria to die down and try to enjoy the book on my own.  Other times I decided to pass on the book.

However, I've found four contemporary books that I am super, super excited about and have been rotating because I just want to read all of them at the same time.  If I could literally read four books at the same time (like have four monitors to simultaneously watch) I would.  But I have to pick one to focus on each day.

What I Talk about When I Talk about Running by Haruki Murakami  OK--non-fiction, but it's contemporary.  I've written before about wanting to run.  I'm seriously finally going to do it.  I have heard about this book before, but never really got a clear picture of what it was about.  The other day I impulse went to Barnes and Noble to buy this book.  I've read a few chapters and really like all of the correlations between running and writing, which is great because I really want to work on both of them.  Coincidentally, this is also my first Murakami.  It's piqued my interest in his other works, which are contemporary fiction.

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman  When I went in to Barnes and Noble the other day, I picked up a Raymond Chandler book.  Then a bargain book of essays.  Then I saw this one and impulse bought it as well.  I saw the New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year label on the front first.  Then I saw the words "English-language newspaper in Rome" and I had to buy it.  I figured that it was set in comtemporary times based on the chapter titles, but ever since I first saw Roman Holiday, with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck I've had a thing for English-language newspapers in Rome.  I read the first chapter and love the gritty, deep style of the author's language.  I can't wait to read more.

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert  You'll be seeing me mention this book in next week's Top Ten Tuesday...I'm about halfway through.  I bought this book immediately after it came out and it just sat around for a year.  I think that this was finally the right time to read it.  I am falling completely in love with the language and the style.  I think Gilbert has done something great here with this sweeping epic story.  Alma is a very interesting and inspiring character as well.  The secondary characters are also very strong, detailed, and interesting.  I cannot wait to see where this one goes and hopefully I can find the time to finish this weekend!

Lucky Us by Amy Bloom  I haven't gotten the chance to pick up this one yet.  But I am really looking forward to starting.  It's about two sisters in the 1940s.  They travel to Hollywood.  New York is involved.  I LOVE reading about or studying these two places at this time.  And who doesn't love a good girl power adventure?  The cover is gorgeous.  If I weren't so embroiled in the Gilbert, I'd be all over this.








I am so happy that I finally decided to step out of my comfort zone and try all of these amazingly interesting books.  I hate to think of what all I might have missed out on.  That's not to say that I am abandoning my classics, but right now I need language that is not so dense as that of the nineteenth century or prior.

Any good contemporary literature that you want to recommend?

Daisy's Mini-Review of The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno

Title/Author: The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno
Publisher/Date published: HarperTeen, July 8th 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley

Goodreads summary: You take it for granted. Waking up. Going to school, talking to your friends. Watching a show on television or reading a book or going out to lunch.

You take for granted going to sleep at night, getting up the next day, and remembering everything that happened to you before you closed your eyes.

You live and you remember.

Me, I live and I forget.

But now — now I am remembering.

For all of her seventeen years, Molly feels like she’s missed bits and pieces of her life. Now, she’s figuring out why. Now, she’s remembering her own secrets. And in doing so, Molly uncovers the separate life she seems to have led... and the love that she can’t let go.

So at first glance I thought this would be a paranormal read, but it's actually contemporary, which I was kinda glad to know about before I went in, because it's a bit of an adjustment in expectations.

The Half Life of Molly Pierce is a fast read, I breezed through it in a couple of hours and Katrina Leno's writing style made it easy for me to do this. It's interesting and I did want to know what was going on, but in the end I wasn't all that invested in the story. I really want to recommend another book if this is your kind of thing, but I'm afraid to spoil things for you, so if you do want to know, just tweet me and I'll tell you what book I'm talking about (@DBetweenpages).

There's a whole lof of confusion and a whole lot of stuff that is messed up and that I went WTF about, but it all adds up and I liked it. One thing I really liked was seeing how everybody else was handling Molly's blackouts (I don't really know what else to call them) and especially her sister, her sister is awesome.

I'm being cryptic, I know, but bottom line: I liked it, but it didn't blow me away, but it also took me no time at all to read it, so it was ok.

My rating: 3 stars

Tahleen reviews: "Road Trip" by Gary and Jim Paulsen

Title: Road Trip
Author: Gary Paulsen and Jim Paulsen
Publisher: Listening Library, 2013 (print from Wendy Lamb Books)
Narrator: Mike Chamberlain, with John H. Mayer

Rating: 4.5

Road Trip by Gary Paulsen and his son Jim is a quick, fun middle-grade listen for summertime.

Ben is woken up early one morning by his father, who informs him they're going on a road trip for a few days to rescue a border collie puppy. Because they're on a border collie rescue list, and they already have an older border collie named Atticus, he's not too surprised. He is surprised, however, when his dad informs him that he quit his job in order to start flipping houses—and because money is tight, Ben can't go to hockey camp this summer. Ben is beyond mad, so he lashes out by inviting his older, and possibly delinquent, friend Theo along. What follows is a road trip like no other, where they meet new friends (and enemies), have some adventures, and work through their relationship issues on their way to a cute little puppy who needs them.

I downloaded this book from my library on a whim because I needed something quick on my phone for a run when I realized my iPod was dead. This was a great choice! I really like Mike Chamberlain as a narrator (I had encountered his work previously with Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea), and Atticus the dog, voiced by John H. Mayer, adds his perspective every now and then, which is great to listen to.

The audiobook is only a few hours long, but it is a satisfying story nonetheless. There is no shortage of serious situations, either; Theo is in some serious trouble when he crosses the wrong guy, and Ben is genuinely worried about his father's new jobless situation. Plus, they need to get to that puppy in time.

In short, pick up this audiobook if you're looking for a quick road trip book for the summer! It won't disappoint, but what else would you expect from Gary Paulsen?

Disclaimer: I got this digital audiobook from my local library

Daisy's Review of Don't Call Me Baby by Gwendolyn Heasley

Title/Author: Don't Call Me Baby by Gwendolyn Heasley
Publisher/Date published: HarperTeen, April 22nd 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley

Goodreads summary: All her life, Imogene has been known as the girl on THAT blog.

Imogene's mother has been writing an incredibly embarrassing, and incredibly popular, blog about her since before she was born. Hundreds of thousands of perfect strangers knew when Imogene had her first period. Imogene's crush saw her "before and after" orthodontia photos. But Imogene is fifteen now, and her mother is still blogging about her, in gruesome detail, against her will.

When a mandatory school project compels Imogene to start her own blog, Imogene is reluctant to expose even more of her life online... until she realizes that the project is the opportunity she's been waiting for to tell the truth about her life under the virtual microscope and to define herself for the first time.

So I was actually really excited to start this book because reading about a girl whose the star of her mother's blog just sounds really interesting and I'm always interested in reading a book that has blogging in it. Let's just say that Don't Call Me Baby wasn't really what I'd expected. Some of my thoughts on the book:

-Imogene's mother is HORRIBLE! I mean, WTF, seriously? You can't post all these embarassing things about your daughter on your blog and expect her to be ok with it. Seriously. And why the heck isn't her dad doing something about it? I really felt that Imogene's grandmother was the only adult who actually had some sense, she was cool.

-I disliked that blogging is put in such a negative light, because well, not every blogger is the same and we're not all in it for the fame and money and just, UGH ok. I was annoyed. I get that Imogene didn't like her mom blogging about her, but blogging isn't evil.

-I did think that Imogene and her best friend made some valid points about privacy and the internet and how parents should really not put their kids' whole lives up on the internet for everyone to see. And sometimes I wish I could unplug for a while and just live in the moment, I did that while I was on Mallorca last year and it was awesome.

-I was REALLY not digging the boy. I mean, he's all like 'don't be so hard on your mom cause at least she's paying attention to you' and I was like DUDE UNCOOL! And also: unrealistic. What teenager would tell another teenager that it's ok for their parents to post about them in full detail?

-I didn't really like how it was resolved towards the end, there was all this drama and then it just ended with a bit of a fizzle.

It was a pretty quick read, but it wasn't as much fun as I'd expected and some things really annoyed me, which was a disappointment as I'd heard good things about Gwendolyn Heasley's other books.

My rating: 2 stars

kimberly reviews: "maybe one day" by melissa kantor

Book: Maybe One Day
Author: Melissa Kantor
Series?: No
Rating: 5 Stars

Zoe and her best friend, Olivia, have always had big plans for the future, none of which included Olivia getting sick. Still, Zoe is determined to put on a brave face and be positive for her friend.

Even when she isn't sure what to say.

Even when Olivia misses months of school.

Even when Zoe starts falling for Calvin, Olivia's crush.

The one thing that keeps Zoe moving forward is knowing that Olivia will beat this, and everything will go back to the way it was before. It has to. Because the alternative is too terrifying for her to even imagine.

In this incandescent page-turner, which follows in the tradition of The Fault in Our Stars, Melissa Kantor artfully explores the idea that the worst thing to happen to you might not be something that is actually happening to you. Raw, irreverent, and honest, Zoe's unforgettable voice and story will stay with readers long after the last page is turned.

I decided to review this after yesterday's Top Ten Tuesday, it was one of the first books on my list . I'm not even sure why I decided to pick this one up. I think I read a friend's review of it and bought it on a whim. I did NOT expect how much this book would impact me. I connected to the characters immediately, their friendship is beautifully written, and shockingly realistic. I recognized elements of my own friendships in the friendship between Zoe and Olivia.

It's a bit difficult for me to really describe it... I think if I say too much, you'll just get bored reading about me babbling about this part I loved, and this part that made me cry...

Simply put, I could not put the book down. I was up WAY too late reading this, and I was actually crying as I read it. So much that after I finished the book I put a wet washcloth on my eyes for fear of having puffy eyes the next day! (Trying to explain that my swollen eyes were due to a book can be difficult...)

I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys Contemporary novels, friendship stories, fans of John Green, or someone who is looking for a story that shows friendship in a new, very honest light.

Have you read this? What did you think? Or have you read a book that hit you harder emotionally than you could have expected?

Tahleen reminisces and reviews: "Roomies" by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando

Title: Roomies
Authors: Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando
Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks, 2013 (print available from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Narrators: Becca Battoe, Emily Eiden

Rating: 3.5 stars

When Elizabeth (EB) gets the email with her roommate assignment for college in the fall, she immediately shoots off an email to introduce herself and ask about logistical things like microwaves and mini fridges. She is excited and very ready to leave her suburban New Jersey town for UC Berkeley in San Francisco, especially since her mother is driving her crazy. Plus, she might be able to finally see her gay father who moved to SF years ago. Lauren, on the other hand, is disappointed when she gets the email, since she had requested a single. She just wants to get some peace and be alone for once, as she is the oldest of six by at least 12 years. So their correspondence does not get off on the right foot, but eventually they start to open up to each other—perhaps too much.

When I started listening to this, I immediately was brought back to when I received my roommate assignment for college. It was a little different, as Facebook had just been released and you still needed a .edu email address to sign up for a page, and I didn't get an email address. I was just given a name and a phone number,  but I didn't have any qualms about calling Vanessa. As it turns out, I ended up talking to her mother for a while since she wasn't home when I first called, but eventually we caught up with each other and luckily we seemed perfect for each other. I still feel really lucky I got to have her as my roommate for two years! (Miss you, Vanessa!)

Anyway, back to the audiobook. Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando do a great job of creating unique voices for their characters, though I'm not 100% sure of who wrote which. My guess is Zarr wrote Lauren's part, and Altebrando wrote EB's. Each girl had very different situations and drama she had to deal with at home, and they shared a lot of this with each other through email. As we all know, it can be MUCH easier to talk about something in writing with someone you don't necessarily know in real life, especially since they might not know the other people you're talking about. But because each girl actually has her own personality and set of morals, things get hairy.

Honestly I was super annoyed with EB for almost the whole second half of the book. She really seemed to be a brat for a lot of that to me, but then again I have never had to deal with the situations she does. Still, I was glad (relieved?) when she came around.

As for the narration, I thought it was good. Becca Battoe reads Lauren's part, and Emily Eiden reads EB's. Both voices were different enough that I had no trouble distinguishing whose part was whose, and for the most part they were easy to listen to. I especially liked Battoe's narration; her voice is pretty soothing.

All in all, I do recommend this book if you like realistic fiction, dual-voice narrations, and/or are feeling nostalgic about college or are excited for your upcoming college experience. It's a good, easy read with a bit of drama and some nice character development.

Disclaimer: I got this digital audiobook via OverDrive from the library.

Kimberly's Review of How to Save a Life

Book/Author: How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr
Publisher/Year Published: Little Brown, 2012
Reason I read it: Recommendation from a friend
Rating: 4 stars

Jill MacSweeney just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she’s been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends—everyone who wants to support her. And when her mom decides to adopt a baby, it feels like she’s somehow trying to replace a lost family member with a new one.

Mandy Kalinowski understands what it’s like to grow up unwanted—to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, one thing she’s sure of is that she wants a better life for her baby. It’s harder to be sure of herself. Will she ever find someone to care for her, too?

As their worlds change around them, Jill and Mandy must learn to both let go and hold on, and that nothing is as easy—or as difficult—as it seems.

My thoughts:

I honestly had no idea what to expect from the book. A friend recommended it to me a while ago because Sara is a local author. This is not one of those books where you immediately fall in love with the characters, in fact, I was annoyed with them most of the time. And yet... something about them  drew me in and I connected to them. They grow as the story progresses and I found things about them I liked, while still being annoyed by their less attractive quirks. It's a bit like a friendship.

The story will tug at your heartstrings. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a good contemporary YA.

Oh, and I also got to meet the author. She's pretty awesome. :)

**Make sure to stop by the blog tomorrow for a special announcement!!**