Just One Day | Gayle Forman

"Allyson Healey's life is exactly like her suitcase: planned, packed and ordered. Then on the last day of her three-week post-graduation European Tour, she meets Willem. A free-spirited, roving actor, Willem is everything she's not, and when he invites he to abandon her plans and come to Paris with him, Allyson says yes. This uncharacteristic decision leads to a day of risk and romance, liberation and intimacy: twenty-four hours that will transform Allyson's life.

A book about love, heartbreak, travel, identity and the "accidents" of fate, Just One Day shows us how sometimes in order to get found, you first have to get lost... and how often the people we are seeking are much closer than we know." 

I'm just going to be blunt about it. I hated this book. It had a mediocre, at best, plot, along with predictable and unlikable characters. I understand that this is fiction, but its realistic fiction. Honestly, what are the chances of this happening in real life? I feel as though the main audience of this book will be thirteen and up girls. Most of them are naive and after reading books like these, will accept any offer they receive, believing they have found "the one." Am I saying that this will never happen? No. But the chances are so close to none, its worthless to believe that's your fate. 

The characters were extremely predictable. Allyson was the "good girl" who broke the rules once and now finds that freedom so tempting that its seeping into everything that she does. I can somewhat relate to her, I am a good girl. Maybe I haven't "broken from my shell" yet but the change from good girl to rebel was too dramatic and too sudden, almost to the point where it was impossible. Willem. To be completely honest, I don't understand what's so captivating about him. If you look at him in a completely detached manner, he sounds like every scumbag that enticed a girl into a one-night stand. Just because it's a book, he's going to end up as the good guy, and there swoons every teenage girl. Melanie just annoyed me. She claims to be a good friend then dumps Allyson. Not that I can blame her. 

Even though every aspect of this book annoyed me so much, it did have some good messages concerning identity. I am able to connect with her slightly regarding her "good girl" status. Although I'd never head to Paris with some random guy. Overall I thought this book was overdone and overrated. I'd give it 2.5 out of 5 stars. 

House of Hades | Rick Riordan

"Hazel stands at a crossroads. She and the remaining crew of the Argo II could return home with the Athena Parthenos statue and try to stop Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter from going to war. Or they could continue their quest to find the House of Hades, where they might be able to open the Doors of Death, rescue their friends Percy and Annabeth from Tartarus, and prevent monsters from being reincarnated in the mortal world. Whichever road they decide to take, they have to hurry, because time is running out. Gaea, the bloodthirsty Earth Mother, has set the date of August 1 for her rise to power. 

Annabeth and Percy are overwhelmed. How will the two of them make it through Tartarus? Starving, thirsty, and in pain, they are barely able to stumble on in the dark and poisonous landscape that holds new horrors at every turn. They have no way of locating the Doors of Death. Even if they did, a legion of Gaea's strongest monsters guards the Doors on the Tartarus side. Annabeth and Percy can't exactly launch a frontal assault. 

Despite the terrible odds, Hazel, Annabeth, Percy and the other demigods of the prophecy know that there is only one choice: to attempt the impossible. Not just for themselves, but for everyone they love. Even though love can be the riskiest choice of all." 

This book just has all of the feels. From Percy to Bob to Nico to Leo. It makes you cry and laugh and everything in between. Props to Rick Riordan for the writing in this. I don't know if it evoked this much feeling in me primarily because I am so invested in this series or just the fact that the book was written so well. The only problem I have is the fact that each character has their own personalized backstory and problems which is somewhat difficult to keep track of. 

I've been a Percabeth shipper since the very beginning, since the first encounter "You drool in your sleep". So seeing them progress through their relationship is just such a journey to watch. Annabeth hating him in the first book to loving him in this one. Watching them go through tartarus together and make it out alive, along with all the small dialogues in between. Even in the deepest and darkest pits of hell, Percy can still make Annabeth smile. 

Moving on to the new breakthrough characters: Leo, Bob and Nico. Ever since Caleo happened, I can't stop loving him. He is so perfect. I literally have nothing else to say about him except GO TEAM LEO! Nico. Oh god Nico. Why Rick why must you torture me? Everyone saw it coming, I couldn't believe it. But it all makes sense. Even then, you have to feel some kind of pity for the guy. He just doesn't belong, in any world. Some will argue it's because he doesn't try others will completely disagree with me, but it's true. He's not from this time period, he's gay (spoiler) and he's a son of hades. As for the whole 'loving-percy-and-not-being-able-to-have-him' I completely understand (except for me he's not real). He saved Percy so many times, in so many ways but Percy will never feel the same way. I can feel the hurt he feels whenever he sees percabeth together and its so heartbreaking.

AND BOB. OHMIGOD DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON HIM. I was legitimately sobbing when Bob stayed back to let Percy and Annabeth go. He is so innocent and adorable. He made Percy look like a complete jerk, who forgot to visit him. And the last line "Bob says hello." had been sobbing. He and Leo need to get their own spinoff series so I can fangirl some more, like I haven't enough already. 

So Rick Riordan this is what I need in the Blood of Olympus

1. More Percabeth in front of Nico.

2. Bob to be alive and say hello to the stars himself

3. More Percabeth 

4. Caleo 

5. Reyna finding someone

6. Nico coming out of the closet to Percy

7. Percabeth

8. Percabeth

9. Percabeth

10. If they beat Gaea along the way that'd be cool to 

11. Did I mention Percabeth? 

Premeditated | Josin L. Mcquein

"A WEEK AGO

Dinah's cousin, Claire, cut her wrists.

FIVE DAYS AGO

Dinah found Claire's diary and discovered why

THREE DAYS AGO

Dinah stopped crying and came up with a plan

TWO DAYS AGO

She ditched her piercings and bleached the black dye from her hair

YESTERDAY

Knee socks and a plaid uniform became a predator's camouflage

TODAY

Dinah will find the boy who broke Claire

BY TOMORROW

He'll wish he were dead" 

I had extremely mixed feelings about this book. First of all, the plot itself was slightly dramatized. Maybe it's just me personally but there would definitely have been better ways to get her revenge than doing it herself, if she had done her research properly, she would have understood and known it was (spoiler alert!) Dex all along. She acted rashly and basically almost ruined a perfectly good guy's life. Anyways once you get over the initial feeling of 'oh this is kinda stupid' you get really into the book. 

Now for the characters. To be completely honest, there was nothing that special about Dinah. She is the typical heroine from every book. The 'misunderstood' girl who 'still hasn't found herself.' But I have to admit, she's pretty ingenious at times. She can leave people speechless and utterly confuse them. You can like her and hate her at the same time. Other than that she's pretty typical, as is Tabs and Brucey, her 'posse'. Now let's talk about Dex. I have very strong emotions about him. Of course, like every other reader I was taken in by his charm, but of course every character I like either a) turns out to be bad or b) dies. For most of the book I thought he was pretty freaking awesome, but then of course he turns out to be Claire's raper....sigh.... Now Brooks. I can't be more happier that he's good. I actually started liking him in the middle of the book and his personality didn't at all reflect the accusations Dinah had put against him. By the end of the book, I was so emotionally exhausted, from Claire dying to Chandi not harming herself. 

Overall, even though I was extremely emotional after the book, I still feel as though the general plot was overdone way too many times. Other than that it was a really good read. 

The Infinite Moment of Us | Lauren Myracle

"For eighteen years Wren Grey has been the model daughter, which in her family means all As, zero boyfriends, and early acceptance into a pre-med program. But as high school graduation nears, so does an uncomfortable realization. Pleasing her parents once overlapped with pleasing herself, but now...not so much. Wren needs to honor her own desires, but how can she if she doesn't even know what they are? 

Charlie Parker, on the other hand, knows exactly what he wants. A gentle boy with a troubled past, Charlie has loved Wren since the day he first saw her. But a girl like Wren would never fall for a guy like Charlie- at least not the sort of guy Charlie believes himself to be.

And yet certain things are written in the stars. In the summer after high school, Wren's and Charlie's souls will collide. But souls are complicated, as are the bodies that them...

With all the sweetness-- and steaminess-- of first romance, this gorgeous novel, from one of young adult literature's most distinctive voices, explores that time between high school and college when life seems to be just beginning, and everything-- including true love-- is possible." 

This book connects with me so much, it absolutely terrifies me. I'm being completely and utterly honest when I say that Wren is me. I am Wren. I am that girl who spends all of her time doing homework to try and get ahead and whose had zero boyfriends. Rather than focusing on the romance (which was really adorable), I was more focused on Wren and her struggle with her parents. This book makes me rethink my entire life and all of my choices up until now, whether they were my choices or theirs. I want to believe they were mine...but I have no idea anymore. 

Ok now onto the actual book. I have to say, I really liked the way Charlie was portrayed. He wasn't the perfect male, which is what made him perfect. He made mistakes throughout the book, which made him even more likable. His entire family story was extremely touching. His childhood was terrible and so was everything that happened with his brother was so sad and painful to even imagine. But regarding his entire situation I would feel the same way as Wren, sheltered, not ever being to fully understand how he felt. 

Starrla was an interesting character. She's completely crazy but completely realistic. She's had probably the worst childhood and things aren't getting better for her. She's getting caught up in the wrong crowd and the readers know that eventually she's going to crack. She has no one motivating her to do better, to be better and it's all going to end badly for her. 

Overall I really liked this book, and I need another book like it. Like now. 

Somebody Up There Hates You | Hollis Seamon

"Chemo, radiation, a zillion surgeries, watching my mom age twenty years in twenty months; if that's part of the Big Dude's plan, then it's pretty obvious, isn't it? 

SOMEBODY UP THERE HATES YOU

SUTHY has landed me here in this hospice, where we- that's me and Sylvie- are the only people under thirty in the whole place, sweartogod. We need to keep things interesting. I mean, we're kids, hospice hostages or not. We freak out visitors; I get my uncle to sneak me out for one insane Halloween night. Stuff like that. And Sylvie wants to make things even more interesting. 

That girl's got big plans. 

Only Sylvie's father is so nuclear-blasted by what's happened to his little girl, he glows orange, I swear. So we got a major family feud going on, right here in the hospice. DO NOT CROSS line running down the middle of the hall it's crazy.

In the middle of all of this, really, there's just me and Sylvie, a guy and a girl. And we want to live, in our way, by our own rules, for whatever time we've got. So let's get to it. "

This book is a very typical cancer book, much like The Fault in Our Stars, the two main teenage characters just want to live a normal life, no matter the cost. Of course at the ripe age of fifteen and seventeen the foremost thing in their minds is getting laid, unfortunately achieving that goal may take a lot more than just one night alone. 

Sylvie is a strong female character; she makes her own rules and she expects others to follow them. She doesn't let anything, not even cancer, break her down. Before getting sick she was perfect: popular, smart, pretty. After getting sick she's been stuck in the hospice and meets no one other than Richard. 

Richard is at a much more advanced level of his cancer, he can barely walk: most of the time he uses a wheelchair, his eyesight is almost completely gone, he doesn't eat, from here it's all pretty much downhill. Then one night his uncle takes him out and he gets a taste of the real world, one somewhat normal night. No one knew about his cancer and no one judged him. Then he gets an offer from Sylvie and everything becomes about her, fulfilling her wish, but then living with the consequences that come after. 

I thought this was a pretty good book, although it didn't impact me as much as the TFIOS did. It's not so much emotional as it is just watching the rite of passage for a seventeen year old with cancer, and his hurry to do it. 

Shadows | Jennifer L. Armentrout

"The last thing Dawson Black expected was Bethany Williams. As a Luxen, an alien life form on Earth, human girls are...well, fun. But since the Luxen have to keep their true identities a secret, falling for one would be insane. 

Dangerous. Tempting. Undeniable. 

Bethany can't deny the immediate connection between her and Dawson. And even though boys aren't a complication she wants, she can't stay away from him. Still, whenever they lock eyes, she's drawn in. 

Captivated. Lured. Loved. 

Dawson is keeping a secret that will change her existence...and put her life in jeopardy. But even he can't stop risking everything for one human girl. Or from a fate that is as unavoidable as love itself." 

This story is a prequel of the entire Lux series and it gives us an insight to more of the Lux community. In context with the rest of the series, it fits very well but as a stand-alone book, I thought it was incredibly disappointing compared to the rest of the series. Personally I think this is mainly because of the couple. Through many of the books I have liked and haven't liked, I came to the conclusion the the love-hate relationship is crucial factor in my opinion of the book. Katy and Daemon (Kaemon) hated each other at first and it took them at least two books to even admit their like, much less their love for each other. However Bethany and Dawson fell for each other within a day of meeting each other. It was too cliché for my liking. 

I think the best part about this entire book was getting more of an insight into Daemon's personality before he was smitten with Katy. Strangely it made me love him even more. Reading about when he was with Ash made me feel jealous for Katy, which is ridiculous I know, but I have to live my life somewhere. 

Personally I think this book or novella should be made more available. I'm not sure if it was just me but the entire book took me forever to find. It didn't have it at my library, I couldn't order it from Amazon or Barnes and Nobles because there is apparently no paperback edition. Then I tried to get a digital version or an audiobook. But audiobooks are mad expensive and then I found a free kindle version on Amazon and finally read it on my computer. So instead of doing my homework, I spent the day looking for and reading this book. Glad I have my priorities straight! 

Saving June | Hannah Harrington

"If she'd waited less than two weeks, she'd have been June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn't consider that.""When Harper Scott's Sister, June, commits suicide just before her high school graduation and Harper's divorcing parents decide to split the ashes, Harper steals June's urn and embarks on a journey with her best friend, Laney, and the mysterious and aggravating Jake Tolan to take her sister to the one place she always wanted to go- California. An intense and romantic debut novel. " 

I have to say I wasn't too impressed with this book, I've felt like I've read it before in Ordinary People by Judith Guest and Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. All of them consist of the same main elements. The book begins with the sibling/ close friend committing suicide while the rest of the book follows the protagonist as they attempt to acquire closure. This book in particular had many of the clichéd and overused character personalities.

• The protagonist who hates everything and feels like a complete failure. Harper was this girl. She never expected anything of herself and did whatever she wanted, regardless of the environment or situation. Even though I found qualities of myself in her, I found her extremely unlikable throughout the book.

• The perfect sibling. The one who was also considered better, more successful and perfect. These characters end up being the ones who commit suicide. Throughout the book, everyone looked down on Harper and considered June as the better sibling, but of course she killed herself, so that just shows how much they know. 

• The "wild and free" best friend. There's always that one friend that is more outgoing than the main character but has deep problems that the reader doesn't get to see since the book isn't focused on them.Throughout the book, Laney was known for doing careless things and of course that resulted in her pregnancy. But we also discover she has some problems with her family, which I definitely would have liked to learn a little more about. 

• The mysterious hot guy/girl. In every book there's a hot guy/girl whom the main character knows nothing about then they find out how awesome that person is and end up hooking up with them. I wasn't too fond of Jake, he was too "I'm better than most guys" for lack of better words. 

• The divorce. In every book, just to make the protagonist's life harder, there is always a divorce or some kind of rift in the marriage of the parents. I personally didn't like either the mom or the dad. The mom was somewhat of a hypocrite, she blamed Harper for not being there for her when she herself was leaving Harper alone. The father was just a jerk. People like him make me hate mankind. He has absolutely no right to walk out on his family but claim he had a right on June's ashes.

I'm not saying that I hated this book, but while I was  reading I did feel a sense of deja-vu, as if I'd read so many books like this before, which I have. Did I cry during this book? Yes, of course. But other than the whole death aspect, this book didn't connect with me as a lot of other books have.