Friday Finds #3: TBR count #348 books... I'm getting there...

FRIDAY FINDS showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your TBR list… whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased). This is hosted by ShouldBeReading!

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Believe it or not, but on Sunday I removed 80ish books from my tbr! Most of these books were at the bottom of my tbr and I wasn’t interested in them anymore, so it made me feel … lighter :D And also less guilty when I added these 6 books to my pile:
 

Little tip

 Watch the video of EpicReads to discover their new upcoming releases! Keep your Goodreads open ‘cause you’re going to need it!

Instagram Picture: Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Source: @melissa_reads

Recent release #16: The Way We Bared Our Souls by Willa Strayhorn

Every Wednesday I share a recent release I’m excited to read. If you want to check out the previous ones, click here. These are all books I'm adding to my growing pile of tbr-books ;) 

Series: stand-alone

Genre: YA, contemporary, fantasy

Release date: January 22^nd, 2015

If you could trade your biggest burden for someone else’s, would you do it?

Five teenagers sit around a bonfire in the middle of the New Mexico desert. They don’t know it yet, but they are about to make the biggest sacrifice of their lives.

Lo has a family history of MS, and is starting to come down with all the symptoms. Thomas, a former child soldier from Liberia, is plagued by traumatic memories of his war-torn past. Kaya would do anything to feel physical pain, but a rare condition called CIP keeps her numb. Ellen can’t remember who she was before she started doing drugs. Kit lost his girlfriend in a car accident and now he just can’t shake his newfound fear of death.

When they trade totems as a symbol of shedding and adopting one another’s sorrows, they think it’s only an exercise. But in the morning, they wake to find their burdens gone…and replaced with someone else’s. As the reality of the ritual unfolds, this unlikely group of five embarks on a week of beautiful, terrifying experiences that all culminate in one perfect truth: In the end, your soul is stronger than your burdens.

Discuss: Is there such a thing as 'reading too much'?

You're probably wondering why I'm asking this. Let this be clear, I do NOT think someone can read too much. That's just not in my dictionary... or whatever the expression is :D

I often get the remark of 'geez, you read a lot, why do you like it?' or 'I don't get why you like reading. It's boring!' and even 'It's not good to read that much, you should stop reading so much". Do you get these remarks too? I wish I could say I completely don't care about this... and I don't for like 3/4 of the time.... but I have to admit: it pisses me off.

It's been a few times that I had a fight with my parents because they don't get why I like reading. They don't get why I spend almost all my money and time on books. They think I should "get off my reading cloud more often and get a grip on reality'.  Like what the hell?!
Why do people always think that booklovers don't know what reality is? Yes, I read a lot, but why should this automatically mean that I don't know what's happening in the real world? Or that I don't care about the real and serious stuff happening in the world? Of course I care about these things!! I mean, half of the time I read New Adult books that discuss death, health, friendship, love... and all those other real things.

I always say: "Better be addicted to books, than drugs/alcohol/..." (you agree, right?)
The respond I get is often a shrug that means "I still don't get you" or rolling eyes that mean "girl, you're weird." This just makes me so mad! This is basically a never-ending fight in my home.

I'm so grateful for instagram, goodreads and my blog. I also have a few friends that read, so I'm very grateful for them too. Because I can't share all of this bookish things with my family. They often wonder why I don't talk much about personal stuff... well... I often don't because I'm sick of these looks and eye-rolls. Don't get me wrong, I love my family to death, but I hate the fact that they don't seem to understand why I like reading.

I'm telling you all of this because I would like to know how your situation is? Do your friends and family respect your love for books? Or not? Share anything if you want. I would love to talk to you about it.

I look forward to read your thoughts on this!

To discover: Phantom's Dance by Lesa Howard (+ excerpt!)

Today I'm presenting you a The Phantom's dance by Lesa Howard, which is a modern retelling of Gaston Leroux's Phantom Of The Opera.

I've been asked to review this book and to be honest I cannot wait to start this one (especially after reading the excerpt!). Keep your eyes open for a review sometime soon!

Christine Dadey’s family uprooted their lives and moved to Houston for her to attend the prestigious Rousseau Academy of Dance. Now, two years later, Christine struggles to compete among the Academy’s finest dancers, her parents are on the brink of divorce, and she’s told no one about her debilitating performance anxiety and what she’s willing to do to cope with it.

Erik was a ballet prodigy, a savant, destined to be a star on the world’s stage, but a suspicious fire left Erik’s face horribly disfigured. Now, a lonely phantom forced to keep his scars hidden, he spends his nights haunting the theater halls, mourning all he’s lost. Then, from behind the curtain he sees the lovely Christine. The moldable, malleable Christine.

Drawn in by Erik’s unwavering confidence, Christine allows herself to believe Erik’s declarations that he can transform her into the dancer she longs to be. But Christine’s hope of achieving her dreams may be her undoing when she learns Erik is not everything he claims. And before long, Erik’s shadowy past jeopardizes Christine’s unstable present as his obsession with her becomes hopelessly entangled with his plans for revenge.

Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Goodreads - Smashwords - iTunes 

Excerpt

To avoid the elevator music, I pulled my iPod from my bag again and thumbed through the playlist. The doors started to slide into place when suddenly an arm jabbed through the narrow opening and forced them apart once more. A man in a business suit stepped inside, followed by a blond-haired guy I recognized from a few months back when I’d seen him by the rooftop pool. We made eye contact as he reached for the button panel, and I averted my gaze, at once aware how small the elevator was. When he’d pushed the button for his floor, he waved a hand in the air to get my attention. Then he pointed to the panel. I’d forgotten to choose my floor. Embarrassed, heat crept up my neck and I raised my hand, all five fingers spread apart. He smiled and pushed the fifth-floor button, and my stomach fluttered as I bit my lip to keep from smiling back at him. In a few swaggering strides, the guy was across the elevator and leaning lazily against the handrail, stacking his suede chukkas one atop the other. After arranging his plaid over-shirt so that it hung loosely away from his tee, he clipped his thumbs casually into his jeans pockets. For the second time in less than thirty minutes, I felt uncomfortable in my own skin. I seriously wished I’d changed into street clothes before leaving the studio. Fighting the desire to adjust the waistband of my sweats, I pretended to have great interest in my iPod. If only I’d taken my hair down, rather than leave it in the somber bun I wore for school every day. The doors closed and the elevator lifted, gently gliding skyward, and I glanced at the boy. He was cute, really cute, and my stomach fluttered again when he caught me looking at him. When we stopped at the third floor, the door opened and the man exited. Slowly, the younger one dragged himself from the handrail, taking a wide step that brought him close to me. A full head taller than me, he paused long enough to nod slightly as if telling me goodbye. I sucked in a ragged breath, pulling in the smell of cologne that no doubt had the word noir in its name. He was so close I could have touched the cleft in his chin, and my fingers itched to. I’d never seen such an impressive dimple. And his silver-blue eyes were out of this world. Images of a lone werewolf popped into my mind. I’d definitely read too many of the paranormal romances passed around the Academy.

About Lesa Howard

Lesa Howard lives in the greater Houston area where she works as a writer-in-residence for the nonprofit organization Writers in the Schools, but her students know her as Lesa Boutin.

Lesa was passionate about writing for teens before it was ever labeled Young Adult, and her latest YA novel is Phantom's Dance.

She also has two books written under the name Lesa Boutin: Amanda Noble, Zookeeper Extraordinaire, and Amanda Noble, Special Agent.

Visit Lesa at www.lesahowardboutin.com or contact her at lesaboutin@gmail.com

Other links: Facebook, Twitter, Goodreadsprofile.

Review: Maybe Not by Colleen Hoover

Genre: NA, romance, novella, contemporary
Series: Maybe Someday #1.5

Colleen Hoover, the New York Times bestselling author of Maybe Someday brilliantly brings to life the story of the wonderfully hilarious and charismatic Warren in a new novella, Maybe Not.
When Warren has the opportunity to live with a female roommate, he instantly agrees. It could be an exciting change.
Or maybe not.
Especially when that roommate is the cold and seemingly calculating Bridgette. Tensions run high and tempers flare as the two can hardly stand to be in the same room together. But Warren has a theory about Bridgette: anyone who can hate with that much passion should also have the capability to love with that much passion. And he wants to be the one to test this theory.
Will Bridgette find it in herself to warm her heart to Warren and finally learn to love?
Maybe.
Maybe not. 

My review: ★★★★+0.5

“She slams the door shut without saying please or thank you or goodbye. And even though she’s the most inconsiderate person I’ve ever met in real life, I can’t stop smiling. I think we may have just bonded.”

I started reading this book immediately after reading Maybe Someday and I love it so much!

I’m very glad she wrote this in Warren’s POV, because reading about him in Maybe Someday was very interesting. I always wanted to know more about him.

“She’s so confusing. She’s so frustrating. She’s so damn unpredictable. She’s nothing I’ve ever wanted in a girl. And absolutely everything I need.”

And oh boy, he was exactly how I imagined him: hilarious, sexy and sweet at the same time.

I loved reading in his POV and he made me laugh out loud a few times. (I’m also glad I finally found out about his porn obsession haha!)

I liked Bridgette a lot more in this book by the way! It made me understand her more, because while I was reading Maybe Someday I could sense there was more to her story, but she was so mean all the time, so it didn’t made me interested in her side of the story. Reading about her past in this novella, made me like her a lot more.

“You did smile, Bridgette, and you need to own it, because it was fucking beautiful.”

The romance between Bridgette and Warren is amazing. Totally not the expected love-story and I loved every single thing about it. It was refreshing and absolutely unique. By the way, this book is in my opinion the most sexiest book Colleen’s ever written (from what I read so far though).

 “The only difference between falling in love and being in love is that your heart already knows how you feel, but your mind is too stubborn to admit it.”

Maybe Not is unfortunately very short (only 112 pages). It’s a very quick read (I finished it in two sittings). But the writing is perfect like always. Colleen proved again that she rules in writing romances. *sighs* I just wish it was longer. I’m not ready to let these characters go… Colleen, would you mind writing a few more sequels to this duology, pretty please? *puppy eyes* Oh, and a novella in Maggie’s POV wouldn’t be bad either ;)

 

Book Of The Week #20: Kaleidoscope Hearts by Claire Contreras

Every Sunday I share a book I discovered during the week. I think it's a good idea for you guys if you're looking for random recommendations ;)

If you want to see the previous ones, just click here.

Series: stand-alone

Genre: NA, romance, contemporary

Length: 295 pages

Release date: January 20th 2015

He was my older brother's best friend. 

He was never supposed to be mine. 

I thought we would get it out of our system and move on. 

One of us did. 

One of us left.

Now he’s back, looking at me like he wants to devour me. And all those feelings I’d turned into anger are brewing into something else, something that terrifies me.

He broke my heart last time. 

This time he'll obliterate it.

Thoughts?

First of all: the cover is GORGEOUS! I love the colors and the squares and ugh, just so beautiful! If I would see this book lying in the stores I would pick it up immediately!

I was supposed to do a promotional post, but couldn’t post it in time, so I decided to share it as my book of the week. And it IS my BOTW for real too! I’m so curious about this book and I can’t wait to read it!

I’ve never read anything about Claire, but I have a really good feeling about this book!

Pssst, this book is on sale for a limited time!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1xzmSEJ

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1E2S2vC

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1CQsxd4

Review: The Pact by Karina Halle

Genre: new adult, romance, contemporary, erotica
Series: Stand-alone

It all started with a pinky swear…

Linden McGregor is tall, rugged, and gunslinger handsome; a helicopter pilot with a Scottish brogue and charm to spare. He’s also one of Stephanie Robson’s best friends and has fit into that box for as long as she’s known him.

But some relationships can’t be boxed, can’t be classified, can’t be tamed.

Back in their mid-twenties and tired of the competitive hit-or-miss dating scene of San Francisco, Steph and Linden made a pact to marry each other if neither one of them are in a serious relationship by the time they hit thirty.

It sounds like fun and games but as the years to thirty tick past and lovers come and go out of their lives, the pact becomes larger than life.

Sex is inevitable. Friendships are tested. Hearts are on the line.

The pact is about to change everything.

My review: ★★★

*ARC received in exchange of an honest review*

This is going to be a very short review because I don’t want to go too much into it.

I didn’t finish this book… I read 65% of it and decided that it wasn’t my thing.

Well, I actually do like the storyline, but I don’t like the erotica side to it. I usually like a book like this from time to time, but this one is a bit too much for me.

The characters and the writing are very good though! So don’t let this review stop you from adding The Pact to your TBR! If you don’t mind the eh… ‘rougher’ sex scenes, then you should definitely read this book!

Note: Friday Finds

I just wanted to mention that if I skip a week for the Friday Finds posts that it means I haven't added any books to my tbr.

It may be a little sad for you guys, but it is very good for me if I skip a week every now and then. And not because I don't want to post anything, only because I already have over 400 books on my tbr and I need to reduce it too :D

So forgive me please :D

Review: Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover (FAV BOOK EVER NO KIDDING!)

Genre: new adult, romance, music.

Series: Standalone (with one novella: Maybe Not)

At twenty-two years old, Sydney has a great life: She's in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers Hunter's cheating on her--and she is left trying to decide what to do next.

Sydney becomes captivated by Ridge, her mysterious neighbor. She can't take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there's something about Sydney that Ridge can't ignore, either. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one...

Original music created for Maybe Someday by musician Griffin Peterson can be accessed through the website listed in the ebook and paperback.

My review: ★★★★★ (multiplied by a billion)

Okay I'm going to say it... Maybe Someday is my favorite book. EVER. Like EVER EVER. Like EVER, EVER, EVER. And even beyond that! Do you understand what I mean? E-V-E-R. If you would have asked me yesterday what my favorite book was, I would have answered something like: “What? You can’t be serious! I can’t pick ONE book! There are so many…”.

If you ask me this now, I would say – hell, even scream – “Maybe Someday” without the slightest hesitation. I already know I will reread this book a lot. I’m already itching to pick this book up again and start all over again (but my heart can’t handle it right now). 

“However, I've learned that the heart can't be told when and who and how it should love. The heart does whatever the hell it wants to do. The only thing we can control is whether we give our lives and our minds the chance to catch up to our hearts.” 

Describing all the little things I loved in this book is probably pointless. I would just give you the book itself, because every single thing was perfect to me. I loved every single chapter, sentence, word and song. I’m not even going to talk about the plot in this review because there’s no way I can tell the plot without spoiling anything. 

“For her I bend, for you I break.” 

But okay, first let me start with Sydney. She is… seriously, I just thought about a word to describe her for the last 5 minutes (I’m not even kidding) and I just can’t. She’s everything I wish to be. I think this says a lot. She had a lot to struggle with and yet, she stayed true to herself. She developed through the whole story yes, but she didn’t changed herself. I admire this so much. 

Rigde… Oh Ridge… *sighs* I never loved a character so much! He’s so loyal, honest, caring, selfless, hot (let’s not forget that) and… ugh, he’s basically perfect to me. (view spoiler) I just love him. Like love love love love love love him.

“Hey, heart. Are you listening? You and I are officially at war.” 

Put Ridge and Sydney together and you have my OTP right there. The way they dealt with everything that happened to them was unbelievable. The way they were so brutally honest to each other and the way they told each other things through their music is perfect . Their romance is so intense. If someday (I never thought a word like ‘someday’ would hurt so muchohmygod) I fall in love and only have 10% of their romance, then I’ll still be the luckiest woman alive. With Colleen you never get the insta-love type of romance and I love that about her books. Her books are so realistic that sometimes I even forget these characters aren’t real. I never felt so many things while reading book. Hell, I started reading this book a morning before work and I couldn’t concentrate during the whole day, because I couldn’t get the book – more like, Ridge – out of my head. 

“Words can sometimes have a far greater effect on a heart than a kiss.” 

I’m praising the main characters so much, but let’s not forget the side characters! Warren, Bridgette, Maggie, Brandon… they are all amazing too. Warren is awesome. He’s funny and he’s such a good friend to Sydney. And he’s hilarious too! I’m so glad ‘Maybe Not’, the novella, is about him and Bridgette! I’m going to read this book asap, because I need one more dose of Colleen’s perfectness. 

“To me, lyrics are harder to write when you have to invent the feelings behind them. That's when lyrics take a lot of thought, when they aren't genuine.” 

And the music! Ohmygoodnessssssssssss!!! This is the best experience E-V-E-R. 
Rigde is a musician (guitar hmmm) and songwriter. Sydney is also a musician. She writes lyrics and plays the piano. But Ridge is having a writers-block and so one way or another, they end up writing together. The lyrics that are being written by Ridge and Sydney have been turned into actual songs! Colleen collaborated with a singer, Griffin Peterson. They is an actual soundtrack to the book! So whenever you read lyrics, you can listen to the soundtrack of the book. This is the best experience ever. These songs can be bought, but also listened to for free on this site: http://www.maybesomedaysoundtrack.com/

Although I recommend NOT listening to the songs if you haven’t read the book yet. It will make the reading experience even more special. My favorite song is – of course – Maybe Someday. I’ve been listing to this one repeat while writing this review (I started like 3 hours ago by the way). 
The lyrics are absolutely not random and fit perfectly into this book. They are based on the true feelings of Ridge and Sydney. Everything they didn’t dared to tell each other, you can find it in one of the songs. Just beautiful. 

“Kisses like his should come with a warning label. They can't be good for the heart.” 

This book made me laugh, cry, squeal, hold my breath, stopped my heart, and so many other feelings. When I say this book is a roller coaster of feelings, trust me, it IS. You feel every single damn thing Sydney and Ridge are feeling. The writing of Colleen is gorgeous. It’s absolutely not the typical type because Ridge and Sydney communicate in a different way. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever read. I wouldn’t even change the slightest thing. 
Anyway, I could keep on and on about this masterpiece. If my review isn’t convincing enough for you to read this book then I don’t know what will. 

“The more I open up to him, the more I need him. The more I admit to myself that I need him, the most it hurts to know that I still don't exactly have him.” 

I probably also forgot to mention a million other things I loved about this book, so everything I forgot can be explained with this gif:

I think I’m going to listen to the soundtrack for a few million times again. And probably cry some more. Okay, bye *grabs 7 packages of tissues and crawls into bed*.

Recent Release #15: Wasted Summer by Cathryn Fox

Every Wednesday I share a recent release I’m excited to read. If you want to check out the previous ones, click here. These are all books I'm adding to my growing pile of tbr-books ;) 

Series: Stone Cliff #2 (stand-alone)

Genre: NA, romance, contemporary

Release date: January 13th, 2015

When Broken meets Beautiful. Melody Spencer has a plan: work hard, stay focused and save enough money to get out of Stone Cliff and the rumors that surround her. Wounded and distrustful, she’s learned the hard way that if a guy is nice to her, it means he’s only after one thing.

Until Ryeland Montgomery cruises back into her resort town, beautifully protective as he insists they get to know each other better.

Ryeland’s future is in the palm of his hands. Problem is it’s the future his hard-nosed father has chosen for him, not the one he wants. Warned by his folks to steer clear of the local girls who will do whatever it takes to escape the sleepy mountain town, he’s always played the good son and kept his distance.

Until he sees Melody, sweet yet tough, standing on the road side, drenched and furious—a girl he knows he has to have.

Soon this unlikely pair find themselves lost in each other, and after a whirlwind summer of passion and pleasure, he vows to protect her from everything and everyone. But when secrets unfold, Melody is forced to make the toughest decision of her life and Ryeland must determine whether he's wasted the summer on nothing more than a beautiful lie, or if they can move past the deceipt and rebuild the wreckage that has become their lives.

As the reality of the ritual unfolds, this unlikely group of five embarks on a week of beautiful, terrifying experiences that all culminate in one perfect truth: In the end, your soul is stronger than your burdens.

Review: Arrow, volume 1 by Marc Guggenheim

Genre: comics, tv show companion, superheroes, mystery, crime
Series: Arrow #1

Spinning off directly from the hit CW television series ARROW comes the Emerald Archerer in these digital-first adventures!

Show creators Andrew Kreisberg and Marc Guggenheim team with some of the industry's best artists, including Mike Grell (GREEN ARROW: THE LONGBOW HUNTERS), Phil Hester (GREEN ARROW: QUIVER) and others to fill in the gaps between episodes of one of TV's hottest new series.

Collects Arrow #1-6 and #1 Special edition.

My review: ★★★★

This is the first comic I've read since middle grade and I have to say, I liked it a lot! Not as much as I though I would, but that's probably because I'm more like a 300-pages-book type ;)

This comic is actually not the complete story. It is based on the show. This comic consists of short chapters that are extra's from the tv show. The drawings are very good, although sometime I had a hard time recognizing the people and stories. But that's probably all on me, because I already forgot like half of the things that happened in season one of Arrow...

Anyway, I still enjoyed this and I'm definitely reading the next comics! (If I can figure out the order of them at least haha).

Get To Know The Author: Colleen Hoover (although I think everyone knows her already... just in case)

Every two weeks I present you one of my favorite authors. There are a lot, so be prepared! ;) If you want to see the previous ones, click here. This week I'm presenting you Colleen Hoover !!

Colleen Hoover's love for writing began in 1985 when she was five years old. Her first story was titled "Mystery Bob" and was a huge hit with her mother, who was really good at faking interest.

Colleen continued to write short stories for friends and family until December of 2011, when she decided to write a long story she titled, "Slammed." She self-published SLAMMED to Amazon in January, 2012 and it hit the NYT's bestsellers list in May, 2012. She has since signed with Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, and now has six NYT's bestsellers. Colleen prefers to be called a writer, as the term "author" still terrifies her and makes this feel like a job with expectations. She doesn't work well under pressure and hopes writing will always remain fun and exciting.

Colleen's newest novel, Never Never released in January. She is currently working on a new novel, CONFESS, which she is writing as fast as she can before she wakes up from this crazy dream.

You can follow Colleen on Instagram and Twitter. You can also find her on her blog at www.colleenhoover.com where she holds a daily book-a-day giveaway, or on her very active Facebook page at www.facebook.com/authorcolleenhoover where she loves to give away more free stuff when her husband isn't looking.

Colleen also wants the world to know that writing short biographies in third person is incredibly awkward.

Books:

Click on the picture to view all her books on Goodreads.

Colleen's books are so addictive. For a long time I constantly saw people praising her books and I was like 'what the hell is so special about them?!'. The blurb of her books cannot prepare you for the roller-coaster of feels you get in her books. 

After finishing my first book by her, I was completely stunned. Speechless. Breathless. I love her writing style! She can combine a romance with so many twist and a dash of what-the-hell moments. I just love her. No need to say more. If you haven't read anything about her: just do it. 

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QUESTION: Have you read a book of Colleen? Did you like it?

If you haven't read anything about Colleen yet, will you in the future? :)

Book of the Week: Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Every Sunday I share a book I discovered during the week. I think it's a good idea for you guys if you're looking for random recommendations ;)
If you want to see the previous ones, just click here.

Series: stand-alone

Genre: new adult, romance, messed-up read

Length: 337 page

Release date: August 5th 2014

Publisher: Atria Books

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.
Never ask about the past. Don’t expect a future.
They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.
Hearts get infiltrated. Promises get broken. Rules get shattered. Love gets ugly.

Thoughts

I finished listening to the audiobook earlier this week and I loved it so much. I’m still not over the fact that this book was so consuming. Colleen is blowing me away with all her books! If you’re looking for a good messed up read, then this is it!

Review: Never Never by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

Genre: YA, mystery, romance, not classified? :D
Series: Never Never #1
Release date: January 7th 2015 Pages: 1159 pages
Publisher: Hoover Ink

Best friends since they could walk. 

In love since the age of fourteen.

Complete strangers since this morning.

He'll do anything to remember. 

She'll do anything to forget.

My review: ★★★★★

“What does ‘Never Never’ mean?”

The fact that the blurb and my review are extremely vague is intentional. You should definitely go into this book BLIND. That’s what I did. I didn’t know which genre this was and what the plot was. I just knew it was a what-the-hell-is-happening sort of book. And I loved it.

“How odd to be made of flesh, balanced on bone and filled with a soul you’ve never met.”

Colleen and Tarryn have a completely different writing styles. I read The Opportunist by Tarryn (and loved it) and Hopeless & Ugly Love by Colleen (and loved it too). These books are so different from each other and they still managed to combine their writing style into a mind-blowing book.

“I may not remember anything about her, but I would bet her smile was my favorite part of her.”

Colleen wrote Silas’ chapters and Tarryn Charlie’s. I knew this when I started the book, but even if I didn’t, I would have recognized it immediately. They co-wrote a book and still did their own thing. I love that! I have to admit, I preferred the Silas-chapters, but that’s probably because I loved Silas so much.

“All I know is if you’re going to cheat on Silas Nash, it better be with Ryan Gosling.”

This book grips you immediately on the very first page and leaves you breathless and so confused when it abruptly ends. I’ve never wanted a sequel THAT much. I have SO many questions!! This book is suspenseful, twisted, addictive, brilliant, mind-blowing and I loved every single part of it!

“I’m tired of liking him. I only have a day and a half worth of memories, but they’re all filled with me not hating Silas. And now he’s mad it his personal mission to make me love him again. It’s annoying that I like it.”

  

Review: After Us by Amber Hart

My rating: ★★★★★
Genre: young/new adult, romance, contemporary
Series: Before & After #2

Blurb from Goodreads:

Sometimes secrets kill. Maybe slowly, maybe painfully. Maybe all at once.

Melissa smiles. She flirts. She jokes. But she never shows her scars. Eight months after tragedy ripped her from her closest friend, Melissa is broken. Inside her grows a tumor, fed by grief, rage, and the painful memory of a single forbidden kiss.

Javier has scars of his own: a bullet wound, and the memory of a cousin shot in the heart. Life in the States was supposed to be a new beginning, but a boy obsessed by vengeance has no time for the American dream. To honor his familia, Javier joins the gang who set up his cousin's murder. The entrance price is blood. Death is the only escape.

These two broken souls could make each other whole again - or be shattered forever. Our time will come. And we'll be ready.

My review:

*ARC received in exchange of an honest review*

I could give this book a MILLION stars!! I loved it so much!!

This is my first book by Amber Hart and it certainly won’t be the last. Her writing is so good and it reads very smoothly. The dual POV is amazingly done. And the plot twists! Oh my god! I just can’t. This. Is. So. Perfect.

“What then?” I ask.

“Then,’ May says, a glint in her eye, “you make that boy remember what your lips feel like.”

This book was a roller coaster of feelings. It’s so intense, it grips you from the beginning and leaves you breathless in the end. All the characters are flawed and complex. You fall in love with them so quickly. Especially Javier. Hot body, tattoo and an Spanish accent and I’m completely in love. Also, I have the same name as the main character so whenever he said things like “Some things aren’t worth the trouble. But Melissa? She does something to me.” Or “I feel it in my bones. I know it like I know the curves of Melissa’s body.”, well then I’m basically melting in my chair…

“What I want is for you to want me like I want you!”

Melissa is such an amazing character. And so strong! An insane amount of things happened to her in such a short time and yet, she keeps her head up and goes on with her life. I love her so much and Javier is the perfect match for her.

“His lips, so full, so perfect, press into mine. I’m sitting on what I imagine to be the top of the world because nothing is better than this.”

The story is so complex and it never (ever!) bores you. There’s a lot of Spanish, but I didn’t mind at all because it gave the book a special touch. Also, everything that was said in Spanish was either explained or easy enough for you to understand on your own, so you are never clueless about what something means.

“Life gives you things you never asked for and takes away things you always dreamed of. I wonder where life gets the nerve.”

This book includes so many themes: cultural differences, health, family, revenge, death and so on. Add a hot romance in it and you have the perfect combination. Even with the serious subjects, you are never bored, because Amber combined it with an amazing romance.

“Is happiness what your mama says it it? Maybe it is for her. But what is happiness to you?”

Happiness is Melissa’s laugh. Finding Wink. Knowing that Diego is in a better place, though I miss him. Melissa’s touch and soccer and Cuban food.

Oh man, I just love this book so much!! I really really recommend this book.

This is the second book in the After & Before series, but it can be read as a stand-alone.  I haven’t read the first book yet, but now I certainly will! I’m very curious to find out more about Diego and Faith! 

Friday Finds #2: "Oh, dear tbr-pile... I'm sorry I can't keep up with you."

FRIDAY FINDS showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your TBR list… whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased). This is hosted by ShouldBeReading!

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Again: I’m trying to reduce my tbr-list, but I’m failing horribly! I thought I added a lot of book last week (6), but this week is even MORE crazy! Goodreads, just stop recommending me good books!!! I can’t keep up!

Click on the covers to be redirected to their Goodreads page!

Books I found

 

Books I bought