The Secret of Ella and Micha Review

The Secret of Ella and Micha

by Jessica Sorensen

SPOILERS

Synopsis:

Ella and Micha have been best friends since they were kids. But one tragic night shatters their friendship and their lives forever.

Ella used to be a rule-breaker with fiery attitude who wore her heart on her sleeve. But she left everything behind when she went to college and transformed into someone that follows the rules, keeps everything together, and hides all her problems. But now it's summer break and she has nowhere else to go but home. 

Ella fears everything she worked so hard to bury might resurface, especially with Micha living right next door. If Micha tries to tempt the old her back, she knows that it will be hard to resist.

Micha is sexy, smart, confident, and can get under Ella’s skin like no one else can. He knows everything about her, including her darkest secrets. And he’s determined to bring his best friend, and the girl he loves back, no matter what it takes. 

My Thoughts:

I gave this book 5 stars. This is one of my favorite books of all time. It's taken me some time, but I've finally gotten around to writing this. As with a lot of my favorite books I've found it a bit hard to get out the exact words I'm looking for. It's taken me time to think of what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it. I'm happy to say I'm finally here. And since I'm posting this on a Sunday, I'm gonna count it as an honorary Sunday Favorites post.  

This was one of the first real romances I read. I think I was around 12 when I read this, pretty young, but already really into books I shouldn't have been reading. This is a New Adult Romance, so you can count on parts being racy, but not to the extent of bodice rippers. It has lots of build up. We really focus on our main character and how she has become who she is. We get glimpses into her past and what went down with Micha all those months ago. 

Ella was a truly flawed character and I loved that. She wasn't annoying to read about. There were definitely holes in her justifications about things, but it felt very human of her. She had lots of battles to get through. She tried so hard to tamp down her feisty nature, but some of it always managed to sneak through. You guys know how I love a feisty main character. It was also so satisfying to see her eventually figuring out who she was and not just that image she thought would save her.

Now don't even get me started about Micha. He no doubt has his own issues, but I can't help but love everything about him. He's cocky, sweet, absolutely adorable, and refuses to let Ella forget who she is. His flirtiness with Ella legit almost ended me. I'm just not convinced that people like Micha exist in real life which is horribly inconvenient because I don't think I could settle for anything less.

The novel is mostly character driven. The plot is all about the characters, not huge events. It's all about how the characters feel and react, rather than being overly action-packed or adventurous. This novel, in my opinion, is the darkest a romance can get without being labeled a dark romance. The two characters have pretty fucked up pasts and they are still currently dealing with all the backlash and current problems. It's a pretty intense and dare I use the word 'edgy'. 

I'm glad that we had a few side characters, but the story wasn't oversaturated with people and names that we would eventually forget. The characters were never just mentioned and then forgotten, they all served some sort of purpose to the story. 

I really hope you guys give this book a chance because I do really love it. I don't think I can really tell you just how good it was, so you should probably read it so you can see for yourself.

Quotes:

“I love you, Ella May and nothing will ever change that. You can push me away -run away – and I will still love you.”  

“When it all comes down to it, it’s just me and her against the world. Always has been.”  

“You've always had a good grasp on what's right and wrong. You just have a hard time admitting that sometimes you choose the wrong.”  

“Pretend all you want, pretty girl. You and I know that deep down you’re secretly glad to be pressed up to my body.”  

“Stay here, baby … Trust me, okay? Don’t run.” 

Sunday Favorites: Harry Potter

This post sort of goes both ways, I love Harry Potter the character and Harry Potter as a book series so I'm gonna split this post in two and talk about my love and experiences with both of them. In case you haven't read Harry Potter yet, here is the synopsis of the first book:

Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.

Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come.

We as readers don't give Harry Potter enough credit. Harry is probably no one's favorite character. He just isn't one of those characters that everyone gravitates towards, he isn't the most obvious choice. I decided that Harry needs a little love so I am dedicating this favorites post to him. If you weren't already aware, there are going to be Spoilers in this post so if you haven't read the series yet I would suggest skipping this one.

My favorite thing about Harry is his level of sarcasm. Harry has never been the brightest person or the most focused person, but he is really witty. That's what kept me engaged whenever the trio was not off doing something dangerous. Harry had that dry sense of humor that I love. I feel like the movies never truly captured his wit, but that's a discussion for another day.

Harry is such a sweet character. You don't really think about it much because it's just generally the right thing to do, but Harry sticks his neck out a lot for people who can't defend themselves. Dobby is the prime example. This weird little creature decided to help Harry out and Harry was just like "Seems legit. Totally 100% trust this species I didn't know existed and will go on to befriend it and cry profusely when it dies". Also, the fact that little 12-year-old Harry went to Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party is so pure.

Harry spent his entire life being treated like crap. He lived under the Dursley's stairs for years and took their abuse. Finally, after all those years of having a horrible life, he is finally free to have friends and live his life, not knowing he was basically being raised to die young. So many people hate on The Order of the Phoenix because Harry was so angry and they didn't like how angsty he was, but honestly, what did you expect? The boy has been abused his whole life and now the major media and the leader of the wizarding world are talking shit about him. He isn't going to be happy about that. Despite all these lapses in judgment, Harry was never an outright wicked person. He never treated anyone badly just because he felt like it.

As for the book series itself, it holds a lot of sentiment to me. As you probably already know as I've said it 10 billion times here on my blog, Harry Potter was the series that got me into reading. Before that I had read books here and there, even enjoying a lot of them, but I was never a heavy reader. This was the tipping point where I finally started to read for fun and not because I had to for school. I lucked out and actually started this series when I was 10/11. I remember being on the second book right around my birthday because I told my friend I wanted that for my birthday when she asked and then my parents bought me the rest of the series for my birthday and it was one of the happiest days of my life. I was just at the perfect age to read them.

I also remember being so proud of myself because The Order of the Phoenix was that very first book that I binged. I finished that book in 5 days and I was so proud of myself because it usually took me months to complete a book a fraction of that size. 

Sadly, I was a bit late getting onto the Harry Potter train so the only movie I actually got to see in theaters after having read the books was The Deathly Hallows Part 2. I went to see it with my dad and sister and it was absolutely mindblowing at the time. I have a million little memories just like that one that holds just as much sentiment to me, but if I told you guys about every single one we would be here all day.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed. Do you guys have any sentimental memories of Harry Potter? I'd love to hear about them!


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Sunday Favorites: Finnick Odair

Just to start off, in case you didn't know Finnick Odair is a character from the Hunger Games Trilogy who doesn't come in till the second novel, so if you haven't read the series yet, you probably don't want to read this post. In case you want to know a bit more, I will insert the synopsis of the first book below:

Winning will make you famous. 

Losing means certain death.

The nation of Panem, formed from a post-apocalyptic North America, is a country that consists of a wealthy Capitol region surrounded by 12 poorer districts. Early in its history, a rebellion led by a 13th district against the Capitol resulted in its destruction and the creation of an annual televised event known as the Hunger Games. In punishment, and as a reminder of the power and grace of the Capitol, each district must yield one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 through a lottery system to participate in the games. The 'tributes' are chosen during the annual Reaping and are forced to fight to the death, leaving only one survivor to claim victory.

When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, Prim, is selected as District 12's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart Peeta, are pitted against bigger, stronger representatives, some of whom have trained for this their whole lives. , she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature. 

Many of you may already know, I love Finnick Odair. He's my book husband, and he was my very first book boyfriend. My love for Finnick Odair is what started this whole thing.

Finnick isn't present a whole lot in the series, he only has a handful of scenes in the books, but that doesn't leave those scenes with any less impact. He, in my personal opinion, stole the show. I never cared about the whole #TEAMPeeta or #TEAMGale thing. I was always on #TEAMFinnick.

Finnick really came crashing onto the scene with his net of a costume in the second book and stole everyone hearts. Finnick was portrayed as this sex symbol who was out to seduce everyone. This spurred on one of my favorite quotes from the entire series:

"He offered me sugar and wanted to know all my secrets," I say in my best seductive voice.

At the time of the release of Catching Fire, I didn't really think Sam Claflin was the best fit for Finnick, I had a very specific image of him in my mind, but now that I've had some time to think about it I actually think he's perfect for the role.

I was lucky enough to go to an advanced screening to Catching Fire with my best friend. Spoiler Alert, it was epic. I came prepared. I actually went out of my way to buy a box of sugar cubes which I munched on throughout the movie because I just love Finnick so much that I would eat actual cubes of sugar despite actually hating them.

Despite the front he puts up, Finnick is so much more than a slutty victor. He's so full of love and respect for others. He had a loving, compassionate marriage to Annie. Honestly, their relationship was so enviable, especially how they were together. He was so sweet to her at all times and she seemed to be a little less crazy whenever he was with her. Kinda makes me tear up just thinking about them together.

Let's end this off with some iconic Finnick Quotes:

“Finnick?" I say, "Maybe some pants?"
He looks down at his legs as if noticing his outfit for the first time. Then he whips off his hospital gown leaving him in just his underwear. "Why? Do you find this" -- he strikes a ridiculously provocative pose -- "distracting?"
I laugh. Boggs looks embarrassed and Finnick looks more like the guy I met at the Quarter Quell”. 

“Well, don't expect us to be too impressed. We just saw Finnick Odair in his underwear.” 

“Really, the combination of the scabs and the ointment looks hideous. I can't help enjoying his distress.
"Poor Finnick. Is this the first time in your life you haven't looked pretty?" I say.
"It must be. The sensation's completely new. How have you managed it all these years?" he asks.
"Just avoid mirrors. You'll forget about it," I say.
"Not if I keep looking at you," he says.”

 “Want a sugar cube?" he asks in his old seductive voice.” 

“Did you love Annie right away, Finnick?" I ask.
 "No." A long time passes before he adds, "She crept up on me.” 

Sunday Favorites: Damon Salvatore

“It's not wrong to hustle hustlers. It's like killing murderers, a public service.

I've only done books for this Sunday Favorites thing so I thought it was time to transition to some of my favorite characters! 

I've decided to start with my 7-year fictional boyfriend, Damon Salvatore.

Whether it’s on screen or on pages, Damon Salvatore is one of my all-time favorite fictional characters. The thing that sets Damon apart from all my other book boyfriends is that he is different on the show and in the book and yet I still love him in both. 

Damon is such a complex character, he starts out as the bad guy that no one trusts and people just want to get rid of him, and he transforms into everyone's favorite bad boy who isn’t so bad. He has a tragic backstory that we don’t get to see right away but once we do we finally understand him.

In the books, Damon is very suave, incredibly manipulative, and very dark. I also pictured book Damon differently than from the show. Damon is said to be Italian so I had this whole tall dark and handsome image of him going on in my head. Very sophisticated and despite the fact that he was evil, still very classy. He always seems to be very much in control of himself and situations. 

“Damon, leather and silk and fine chiseled features. Mercurial and devastating.” 

Damon on the show is a whole other story. Damon is the snark master man whore who sleeps with half the characters on the show. He’s dark and damaged and I would say he’s tall dark and handsome, but there is definitely a difference between how L. J. Smith wrote him and how Ian Somerhalder played him. Damon seems to be a bit of a mess in the show. He gets drunk and does irrational things that make people hate him.

“I've been in love. It's painful, pointless and overrated.”

Love him or hate him, you have to admit, Damon Salvatore is a dynamic character. He changes and does things that surprise us. An I personally love him very much for it. What I love most about Damon is that even though he has a tragic backstory and has some pretty shitty things done to him, he tries to get past it. He doesn't mope around, maybe he got vices, but it's better than moping. 

After writing this I now have to go and rewatch the entire tv series.

How do you feel about Damon? Love him or hate him?

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Sunday Favorites: Kricket Series by Amy A. Bartol

I didn’t do a Top 5 Wednesday this week because I couldn’t think of a list. The topic was Top 5 Hidden Gems in Your Favorite Genre. My favorite genre is split between sci-fi and fantasy so it must seem easy to be able to make up a list. It was not. All I could think about was this one book series that I absolutely adore and think others would love it just as much as I do, but no one but me seems to have read it. 

The series in question is The Kricket Series by Amy A. Bartol. It has so much to offer, adventure, action, a badass female protagonist, and a love triangle that I actually couldn’t choose who my favorite was. I know who I prefer her with, but I still really loved her relationship with this other character.

For curiosities sake, here is the synopsis of the first book:

Kricket Hollowell is normally not one to wish upon stars; she believes they’re rarely in her favor. Well versed at dodging caseworkers from Chicago’s foster care system, the past few years on her own have made Kricket an expert at the art of survival and blending in. With her 18th birthday fast approaching, she dreams of the day when she can stop running and find what her heart needs most: a home. 

Trey Allairis hates Earth and doubts that anyone from his world can thrive here. What he’s learning of Kricket and her existence away from her true home only confirms his theory. But, when he and Kricket lie together under the stars of Ethar, counting them all may be easier than letting her go. 

Kyon Ensin’s secrets number the stars; he knows more about Kricket's gifts than anyone and plans to possess her because of them. He also knows she’s more valuable than any fire in the night sky. He’ll move the heavens and align them all in order to make her his own. 

When everything in their world can be broken, will Kricket rely upon love to save her under different stars?

Now I know there are actually almost 13000 people who've read this one Goodreads, but I have yet to actually talk to someone about this book who I hadn't made read it in the first place. Where are you 13000 other people who have read this book? I can't seem to find you.

This series also houses my favorite secretly good villain, Kyon. He is the king of misunderstood, everyone absolutely hates him throughout the first two books and then when you finally get to know him you know you’ve been wrong this whole time. He reminds me a lot of Warner from Shatter Me. We meet him and he has all the traits of a power-hungry soldier of a dystopian regime, but it turns out we completely misunderstood him the whole time. This is what I like to call good writing. 

Kricket is one of my favorite main characters of all time. She’s smart and tough, she knows exactly what she wants. She’ strong, but will let herself be vulnerable and is just full of compassion. Even if the story was shit I would still read it all just for her.

This series also isn't light on plot. We have a full-blown war going on between "countries" and rebel groups trying to overthrow those in power all while Kricket is trying to make her way back home. It's never boring. My only gripe about the entire series is that it ended right in the middle of the series. Supposedly it is only supposed to have 3 books, but the final book left so much to be questioned. I'm waiting for the day when the author finally decides to write more books in this series.

The entire series is so underrated and I 100% think it deserves some love.

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Sunday Favorites: The Sea of Tranquility

I'm actually horrible at doing these Sunday Favorites, however, I like doing them. This week we are going to go all the way back to 2014 when I initially read The Sea of Tranquility.

In case you're curious, here is the synopsis:

Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her—her identity, her spirit, her will to live—pay.
Josh Bennett’s story is no secret: every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.
Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding—or if he even wants to.
The Sea of Tranquility is a rich, intense, and brilliantly imagined story about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.

The Sea of Tranquility is an NA novel, the only novel that Katja Millay has ever written and I would like to say before anything else that I would love to read more of her writing. This book was so completely full of soul that it was impossible not to get sucked in. It was heartbreaking at times, I may have actually cried because of how sad it was, but it was worth every tear I shed. The book was a reawakening of sorts. You have to get through all the heartache and hope that you will be better on the other side.

I first discovered this book, believe it or not, from another romance novel. The characters from More Than This by Jay McLean were talking about it and freaking out about the last two words in the book. Obviously, this got me incredibly curious. Stupidly, the first thing I did once I had a copy of this book was read the last two words. I had no idea what their significance was, obviously, since I hadn't read the book yet. It actually didn't even make sense to me until that last scene when it was completely transparent.

Nastya and Josh have a beautiful little relationship. They both have terrible backstories that have shaped who they are, but they find solace in each other. They see something in each other that resonates deep within. I feel like this is one of those books where the characters are very flawed and live pretty realistic lives and that's why the novel hits so close to home because nothing about it is impossible.

The writing itself is spellbinding. We get gems from the story like this:

I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.

If that one quote doesn't have you interested in the book than I don't know what will. Maybe the fantastic characters, maybe the premise of the story itself. And I have to say, the characters are jarringly vulnerable at times. We really get to the heart of who they are, and I hate to sound like a broken record because I say this all the time, but they are relatable!

This was one of the few books that I read an ebook of and decided that I had to have a physical copy of it. I don't usually do that unless I absolutely loved the book. I really do hope I've convinced you to give this beautiful piece of literature a read, I swear by this book.

Have you ever read The Sea of Tranquility? If so how did you feel about it?

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Sunday Favorites: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

I've finally been hit with inspiration for another Sunday Favorites Post. If you didn't know before, Sunday Favorites is a blog series where I talk about some of my favorite books and characters and some of my personal experiences with said books and characters. I hope you guys enjoy this weeks post!

It took me two days to read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. The first day I started the book after school, my sister had a rugby game that day and I had to stay and watch, first their practice and then their game. So needless to say I was going to be there a while. I know this seems a bit obnoxious, but I didn’t pay any attention to the game that my sister and some of my friends were playing, which they later got mad at me about, I was too busy reading this book. In my defense, I knew nothing about rugby, less than nothing. I knew the bare minimum, only that it was sort of like football but not really, they just had similar balls and tackled each other. So I spent about three hours immersed in this book, loving every second of it.

The characters were witty and there were parts where I would just sit there laughing because of the ridiculous shit these characters would do, but I loved them for it. I especially loved Noah Shaw. This week's Sunday Favourites is actually inspired by the fact that I am currently reading an ARC of the Becoming of Noah Shaw, which by the way, comes out on the 7th of November.

Mara is also one of my favorite protagonists, she was just so damaged and a lot of the things she would think and say where things that I could relate to or at least find amusing in some way. What did break my heart was the fact that animals didn’t like her. Honestly, if animals didn’t like me I would probably start balling, however, Mara deals with it like a pro.

The atmosphere of this book is so different from anything else I’ve ever read. I have a generally hard time reading books that would be deemed creepy. A lot of the time it feels forced, like the author is just trying too hard to make it creepy and so the story drags on. This one seamlessly merged creepy with fast-paced. 

This is also one of those books that I could just reread 10 times and still be completely immersed in the story every single time. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a book that always helps me whenever I need to get out of a reading slump, it has everything I really want from a book. It’s definitely one of my favorite books of all time.

Have you read the Unbecoming of Mara Dyer? What are your thoughts?

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Sunday Favorites: Practical Magic

This is going to be a new series on my blog! I'm gonna choose a new book or series each week, or close to each week. These are going to be books that I love and I just want to talk about everything I love about them. I'm excited!

In honor of me just finishing the prequel to Practical Magic, The Rules of Magic, I decided to make this my very first post in this series.

The first thing I love about this book is the writing style. Alice Hoffman has a way of writing her stories in a way where you feel like you're in a different world. I feel like I'm sitting there listening to someone tell me a story, sorta like a fairytale and I absolutely adore it. The writing feels so poetic and beautiful that you don't want to devour the entire story at once, you want to read it slowly and savour it.

Practical Magic is a world where the characters are dealing with real problems, but there just so happens to be a bit of magic mixed in. They're witches who have real problems just like any other human being. They can die, fall in love, fall out of love. The whole shebang. They even work day jobs.

I've mentioned this before, but I love the magic system. It's what I've always expected of witches and wizards for as long as I can remember. It's all about superstitions and weird things that happen that can never quite be explained, or can be explained away as an accident or a coincidence. They speak of magic and curses like they are living beings, it isn't quite something that can be understood, but they are okay with not knowing exactly what their magic is.

The romance in this book was full blown and I couldn't hate any matches that were made in this book. Even if it was insta love, I know I made a big deal about hating any and all instalove, but this book is my one exception to the rule. These characters are magic and have more intuition than the regular being and the way the emotions are described is too much for the reader to deny. Therefore, I will forgive any instalove that may happen in this book.

Because I am trying to do my best to avoid spoilers, that is all I will say. I truly do believe that this is an amazing book and if it sounds interesting you should definitely give it a shot.

If you've read Practical Magic what are some of your thoughts?

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