It Ends With Us Spoiler Free Review

It Ends With Us
by Colleen Hoover

Synopsis:

Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most.

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up

— she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan — her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened. 

My Review:

I gave this book 5 stars.

The synopsis of this book is purposely vague and I think it’s better that way. I suggest if you plan on reading this book, don’t look for spoilers. Don’t read the last few pages of the book. Just go in knowing nothing and skip the rest of my review because I get into the subject matter of this book.

I spent the entire time reading this book trying to decide if I was going to write a review for it. I felt that I couldn’t properly convey what this book is through my own words, so instead, I’m going to keep it short.

This book covers a hard topic, something that’s often the topic of discussion: Domestic abuse. Why people, often women, stay in abusive relationships. This book isn’t a romance. It’s a life lesson. Showcasing how nothing is every black and white. Often staying in an abusive relationship is seen as being weak, but this showed how wrong that idea is. We judge them until we are them.

Allysa was probably one of the best characters in this book. I can’t even begin to express to you guys how vital she was to the protagonist. I think everyone needs and Allysa in their lives. I really do.

I’ve always gone back and forth between wanting to be an author and not wanting to be an author. After reading this book I know that I could never write something as impactful as this. So I think that answers my age-old question.

Disclaimer: you will cry.

Things I Will Never Do On My Blog

I feel like it's about time for me to set a few things straight. Make some rules for myself concerning this blog and how I go about everything. Maybe you guys will not actually read this post or maybe you'll learn a bit more about me as a person. Either way, I hope you guys don't mind this interruption of my usual content.

Reveal the killer in a mystery novel.  

Even if I am writing a spoiler review I don’t tell who the killer is. It’s personal preference honestly, I just figure if you really want to know who it is you can find it elsewhere. Even if you come to read one of my spoiler reviews on a mystery novel I won’t say it because that’s one of the things I don’t think should be spoiled. The only time I’d ever do that is if I was doing a Top 10 Surprise Killers or Top 10 Plot Twists list or something. 

Shit on peoples opinions

I sure as hell of strong opinions about things, but it is never my intention to make you feel bad about your own opinions. I may disagree with some other peoples opinions, but those are their own and I can’t discount points they may have. The one exception being if that person's opinion disrespects another, I'm not interested in hatred.

Spoil something without a spoiler warning

I feel like this should really go without saying, but I don’t believe in not giving a warning before spoiling something. I personally don’t mind spoilers, but there have been times when I definitely wished I hadn’t known something before reading a book or seeing a movie and I wouldn’t want to ruin the experience for anyone else.

Quit blogging without saying something first

I know I go through stretches where I don’t post for a while because I do have the occasional writer's block, but I would never just quit blogging altogether without letting you guys know I would no longer be doing it. I know how horrible it is to wait for someone to post and having it not happen.

Say anything Racist/sexist/homophobic etc.

I don’t think anyone should have to worry about reading something offensive about them just because of who they are and I will never participate in the degradation of other people real or fictional. I will also let you guys know if a book I read has any of these themes in them. It’s something I feel pretty strongly about.

I hope you guys gained something from this post, it felt good for me to just lay it all down. You can look forward to my regular content tomorrow. Also, if you guys had any other rules that you wanted me to follow, I am definitely open to suggestions, as a blog is as much for the readers as it is for the author.

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You Will Be Mine Spoiler Free Review

You Will Be Mine
by Natasha Preston

Release Date: February 6th, 2018

Synopsis:

ROSES ARE RED

VIOLETS ARE BLUE

WATCH YOUR BACK

I'M COMING FOR YOU

Lylah and her friends can't wait to spend a night out together. Partying is the perfect way to let loose from the stress of life and school, and Lylah hopes that hitting the dance floor with Chace, her best friend, will bring them closer together. She's been crushing on him since they met. If only he thought of her the same way...

The girls are touching up their makeup and the guys are sliding on their coats when the doorbell rings. No one is there. An envelope sits on the doormat. It's an anonymous note addressed to their friend Sonny. A secret admirer? Maybe. They all laugh it off.

Except Sonny never comes home. And a new note arrives:

YOUR TURN

My Thoughts:

I received a copy for an honest review

I gave this book 4 stars. This was a really quick read. All you want to do is sit down and find out who the killer is and what the motive is and really what the hell is going on.

Our story centers around Lylah, an English college student and her group of friends who all live in a house together. They begin to receive these love letters with serial killer letters cut out of magazines. 

The story is thrilling. I’ve found that a lot of YA thrillers can be rather tame as they are for a younger audience than just straight up thrillers, but this one pulled no punches. It was gruesome, nerve-wracking, and an utter conundrum of a plot line.

These characters are so stupid. There is a killer actively stalking them and they decide to get their minds off it by going to bars and parties. Reckless. So unbelievably reckless I can’t process it. Also, cops tell them not to go off on their own and that’s exactly what these idiots do. Are you trying to get murdered?

(Minor Spoilers in next Paragraph)

It really annoyed me that throughout the novel everyone was just so convinced it was Jake. They had pretty much no evidence it was him but they kept saying it was him. Spoiler Alert, it wasn’t him. He was just too obvious of a choice. The actual killer didn’t come off as too much of a surprise to me, they were off pretty much the whole book. We were all just naive enough to believe that the killings were romantic in any way. 

Also, what an ending! Everything looks good and then BAM! The last sentence of the book shakes everyone to their very core. Honestly, very good way to end the book. Now I’m curious as to if there will be another installment or if the author just wants to leave the reader thinking about that from now on.

Top 5 Teachers/Mentors

This was kind of a hard list to make considering how awful or unmemorable most teachers are in books. This is kind of sad because teachers have really important jobs, they are literally educating the future adults of this society and that says a lot about the characters in those books. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this post.

1. Dimitri Belikov

Dimitri ends up as a love interest but starts out as our protagonist's mentor, so he makes the top of this list. I love him.

2. Professor Mcgonagall

Probably one of the most badass characters out there. She is a hardass with a heart of gold. She protects the students while still being strict and earning their respect. I can't think of a single thing I dislike about her.

3. Joe Solomon 

He was the best teacher at the Gallagher Academy which is saying a lot considering it's a school for spies. He is such a mystery for the majority of the series and the little information you do find out is always incredibly riveting. 

4. Warden

I've only just finished reading the Bone Season, but I already love the Warden. He is considered our protagonist's mentor throughout the book. He's also incredibly mysterious and maybe not as evil as we think he is.

5. Haymitch

I can't beleive I almost forgot Haymitch. He would be so offended if he knew I almost forgot him. I can almost hear the sassy comments. Haymitch is snarky, cynical, and just plain unlikeable and those are the reasons I love him. He has that hard exterior but is really just a softy in desguise. 

Which teachers do you guys love?

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Top 10 YA Contemporary Romances

I've read so many YA contemporary romances in my past that I had to make this list. I cheated a little bit with this one, but I make the rules so I'll let it slide. I also didn't include books that weren't primarily about the romance, so that is why you will not see I'll Give You the Sun on here, it's primarily about siblings.

10. The Catastrophic History of You and Me

The beginning of the story dragged a bit but the love story was so unbelievably epic that I couldn't even doc points for the beginning. I actually cried. Also, I don't actually understand what happened at the very end so if anyone understands what the hell that was please feel free to let me know.

9. Fangirl

My girl Cath and my boy Levi. A nerd's wet dream.

8. Perfect Chemistry

This one is a major throwback. It's everything you want from a YA contemporary. We have two lovers from different sides of the tracks, witty banter, and a hell of a plotline.

7. Dare You To

I've reread this book too many times to count. The series as a whole is good, but this is definitely my favorite of the series. Beth is the best character.

6. Lovely Vicious

This book actually goes by a whole new title now, Love Me Never, and it had all this work done so apparently it's a better book than it was before. However, I haven't read the updated version yet and this is still one of my favorite books to this day.

5. Sea of Tranquility

This book sort of borders between YA and NA, but I'm gonna count it because the characters are still in high school. This is an intense novel with so much shit going on. These characters never stood a chance and yet I think it has the most optimistic ending that would be possible.

4. Paper Princess

This is my latest obsession. The Royals series is one of my favorites ever. After reading all the books several times over I finally decided to buy physical copies.

3. Everything Everything

I didn't realize I could love a book this much. This was the first book since Jandy Nelson's two books that made me smile like a lunatic. 

2. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

I just read this last year and it gave me so many feelings about this book. All of them good. I honestly had nothing bad to say about it and I'm so excited I'm going to see the movie today!

1. Hopeless

I've been reading so many Colleen Hoover books lately that it would feel wrong to not have this at number one. This is by far my favorite of her books even now after almost 6 years. It's full of hope and love and loss and I love that the author canonically exists in her own book. I am also aware that this pushes the boundaries between YA and NA, but once again they're in high school so I'm gonna count it. I am also aware that this isn't how it works but I'm gonna do it anyway.

What are some of your favorite YA Contemporary Romances?

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One Small Thing Spoiler Free Review

One Small Thing
by Erin Watt

Release Date: June 26th, 2018

Synopsis:

Beth’s life hasn’t been the same since her sister died. Her parents try to lock her down, believing they can keep her safe by monitoring her every move. When Beth sneaks out to a party one night and meets the new guy in town, Chase, she’s thrilled to make a secret friend. It seems a small thing, just for her.

Only Beth doesn’t know how big her secret really is…

Fresh out of juvie and determined to start his life over, Chase has demons to face and much to atone for, including his part in the night Beth’s sister died. Beth, who has more reason than anyone to despise him, is willing to give him a second chance. A forbidden romance is the last thing either of them planned for senior year, but the more time they spend together, the deeper their feelings get.

Now Beth has a choice to make—follow the rules, or risk tearing everything apart…again.

My Thoughts:

I received an ARC for an honest review

I gave this book 4.25 stars. I enjoyed the book, I pretty much read it in one sitting, however, there were a lot of things that drove me kind of crazy.

I feel such a connection to this girl. She loves to read. She volunteers at an animal shelter. She uses the word Parentals in reference to her parents. I do all of these things. I also have an older sister by two years, although she has not died in a horrible accident. Yet. The only difference being that I would have told Jeff and most of her friends to fuck right off. I have zero patience for people like them.

This novel follows our protagonist Beth and the aftermath of her sister's death. The story really makes you think about your own relationships with your siblings and how you would react if they met the same fate. 

Chase is the boy Beth knows she shouldn’t like, but does. She really can’t help herself. I couldn’t help myself either, despite his past, Chase is a really good guy. The initial meeting between Chase and Beth was probably my personal favorite part of the book. Before the two of them knew who the other was before they felt the weight of the world on their shoulders. We get a brief glimpse at who they are and who they are together.

One thing Erin Watt has perfected is writing good antagonists. I can’t even express to you guys how much I hated some of the characters in this book.

My favorite part of every Erin Watt book is that the ending always justifies every horrible thing that happens during the novel. No matter how horrible some of the situations can get or how aggravating some of the characters are, you know it will come to a good peak.

Our protagonist's parents drove me absolutely insane. Talk about micromanaging. Also, thought the novel I wasn’t actually sure if I was supposed to like the protagonist's friends or not. For the most part, I didn’t like them but they would have these small moments of normalcy where I could see why she was friends with them in the first place. 

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.” 

November 9 Spoiler Free Review

November 9 
by Colleen Hoover

Synopsis:

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

Can Ben’s relationship with Fallon—and simultaneously his novel—be considered a love story if it ends in heartbreak?

My Thoughts:

I gave this book 5 stars. It’s been about three years since I’ve read a Colleen Hoover book and I’ve been questioning why that is. November 9 is finally a rival to my favorite Colleen Hoover book, Hopeless. 

Fallon is the scarred daughter of a semi-famous actor and a retired actress herself. She has a really horrifying backstory and a horrible relationship with her father, which is where the story begins. 

Once we meet Ben, a funny mess of a writer. Ben and Fallon instantly connect and agree to meet up every year on that same day and thus, brings about the beginning of an amazing love story full of humor and heartbreak.

November 9 was not what I expected at all. I think I was a bit reluctant to read it because it sounded a lot like One Day and Love Rosie and I didn’t really like either of those. I should have known Colleen Hoover would never write something like that, her style is completely different and I love her for it.

I, for some reason, went into this book expecting the characters to be in their mid to late twenties instead of teenagers. I’ve found that I relate a lot to her novels about teenagers more than I do to her novels about people in their twenties. I really don’t know why this is, it might be that I myself am a teenager. I really can’t be sure.

The humor that Colleen puts into every single one of her books takes them from a 4 star to a 5 star. The humor took away from moments that otherwise would have been so unbelievably angsty that I would have had to put the book down. 

Like the rest of Colleen’s novels, this book comes with one hell of a plot twist. Holy shit I started crying. I loved how there was a story within a story. They were experiencing this relationship and Ben was writing it as it happened. It’s a book nerds dream.

I was a bit confused while reading because for some reason my mind thought that they would be meeting four times after the first meeting because they said they would be meeting five times. For some reason, my mind equated that to the first time plus 4 more. I then realized that they would be meeting that first time plus five more. This made it a longer travel to the endgame, but every second of that was worth it. 

I know I probably say this a lot when it comes to romance, but this is the sort of love I want to have. These characters are written as actual people and their romance is written as something that is real and it’s something I will aspire to have.

Rant ot Rave: The "Big Reveal" Trope

Time for Rant or Rave! This week the topic is a rave about the "Big Reveal" Trope. I love it.

You know that scene in almost every YA paranormal/Urban Fantasy book where a “normal” character meets some mysterious person, usually a hot guy, and they find out that that guy isn’t exactly human or that there is a whole other world out there they had no idea about? This is a trope that I will never get tired of.

I love having the big reveal, it adds so much drama and it’s exciting when you know something the protagonist doesn’t. It also says so much about the characters with how they react to this. Some characters take this in stride and others lose their shit. Either way, it’s extremely entertaining. If I could only read books with one trope for the rest of my life it would be this one. 

The big reveal can tell you so much from the authors writing style to the characters themselves. You can tell who the hothead is and you can tell who the wallflower is. 

Raven Boys Spoilers

Also, the big reveal doesn’t even have to happen during the beginning of a book. If it’s part of a series it could just be a plot twist that happens at the very end of a book. The one that comes to the forefront of my mind is the Raven Boys. If you haven’t read the Raven Boys yet skip to my end of Spoilers in bold. So we end off The Raven Boys with the iconic:

“I guess now would be a good time to tell you," he said. "I took Chainsaw out of my dreams.” 

This sets the stage for the rest of the series. We realize that there truly is magic in the world. Ronan’s abilities and big reveal tell so much about what we never understood throughout the series. 

End of Raven Boys Spoilers

Even though a lot of these are really well written and very revealing, I have to admit that my main fascination with this trope is that I find it entertaining. Not even from a critical standpoint, I just like to see characters lose their shit when they find out their love interest is a vampire or they’re actually a Shadowhunter. It’s a guilty pleasure.

Thoughts on the topic?

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Bookish Academy Awards Book Tag

I saw Regan of Peruse Project do this tag on Youtube and I thought it was such a fun idea that I wanted to do it too. All the books I'm using are from 2017, and I hope to start doing this tag every year. This was really fun for me to do and I hope you guys enjoy it! I will link the original creator here. 

Best Actor: Best Male Protagonist

My pick would have to be Noah Shaw. He is the perfect combination of cocky asshole and compassionate dreamboat. 

Best Actress: Best Female Protagonist

After much debate, I finally settled on Banks from Hideaway by Penelope Douglas. Banks is everything I love in a female character. She doesn’t take peoples shit, she’s hella smart, and she’s independent. 

Best Cinematography: Best Plot Twist

Scandal Never Sleeps. From the title, you can probably tell that the novel is gonna have a ton of twists and turns. Spoiler Alert it does. Because I don’t actually want to spoil this entire thing for you guys I will just say that the protagonist isn’t who we think she is, she isn’t who she thinks she is. 

Best Costume Design: Best Book Cover

The Castaways by Jessika Fleck has one of the most beautiful covers I’ve ever seen. That’s what initially drew me to it. The combination of the vibrant colors and the design are 10/10.

Best Supporting Actor and Actress: Best Male and Female Sidekick

Pasha from the Crown’s Game is such a sweetheart. He makes some bad decisions but I honestly can’t even hate him for it because he hates himself for it. He’s one of the most genuine characters I’ve ever read about.

Best Original Screenplay: Most Unique Plot/World

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. So obviously Neil Gaiman didn’t makeup Norse mythology, but the way he wrote it and portrayed all of it was amazing. I personally loved it.

Best Adapted Screenplay: Best Book-to-Movie Adaptation

I finally read the Princess Bride in 2017 and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that this book has one of the best adaptations of all time. There are many verbatim conversations from the book in the movie.

Best Animated Feature: A book that would work well in animated format

The Bone Witch, I think it would work way better animated than it would CGI. The thing with animation is there is so much more you can do when you have people drawing the images instead of having actual people trying to act them out. 

Best Director: A writer you discovered for the first time

The author of Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens agenda. This was actually the last book I read in 2017 and I’m so freaking excited to read more of her books.

Best Visual Effects: Best action in a book

Lord of Shadows is by far the best book Cassandra Clare has come out with. All her books are amazing, but with each release comes an even better novel with more high-quality actions sequences. This was not a hard choice.

Best Short Film: Best novella or short book

The Summer Palace by C. S. Pacat. It’s basically the epilogue we all wanted for the Captive Prince Series. This takes place after the contents of Kings Rising. It’s only maybe 30 pages long, but it’s enough for us all to know that everything is going to be okay, plus some other fun things. 

Best Picture: Best standalone

The One Memory of Flora Banks. I kind of wish it wasn’t a standalone because I want to know what happens with everything, there could definitely be more story there. However, this story stands amazingly on its own.

Best Documentary: Best Historical Fiction or Non-fiction

I read one nonfiction novel in 2017 and I just so happened to have loved that book. The novel I am talking about is Night by Elie Wiesel. It’s about a man and his survival of the holocaust. It’s just as heartbreaking as you think it is. I would highly recommend giving this one a read.

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