{Audio}Book Review: Thirteen Reasons Why

By: Jay Asher

Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date:  October 18, 2007
Pages: 288 (6hr 25mins)
Source: bought

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.
Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

Summary Taken from Goodreads

Yani's Review:

Thirteen Reasons Why is an emotional story like no other book I have ever read heard. I first read it before I was a blogger and recently acquired an audiobook book version of it. The book on it's own merits is great, but listening to the emotion behind the words elevated it to one of my favorite books ever and definitely my favorite audiobook.

It has a powerful message as well, about how something so small and insignificant to you can impact others lives in ways you could never understand or imagine. Sometimes these book can come off sounding preachy, but not once did I get that vibe from this book. The emotions were genuine.

This book is about many things: growing up, being mature, thinking of others, missed opportunities and so much more. I HIGHLY recommend and once you start you are going to want to stay reading, or in my case sitting in your car listening, until you are done.

My Review in a Tweet: 

I don't need to tell you 13 Reasons Why I love this book, but I could. One of my favorite books ever!!

Ratings: 

Plot Development: 10/10
Writing Style: 10/10
Characters: 10/10 
Pace: 10/10
Uniqueness: 9/10
Narration: 10/10

Other Reviews:

• Baffled Books
• Mint Tea and a Good Book
• Makeshift Bookmarks

Buy the book here!
**commissions earned from sales are minimal and go towards giveaways!

Book Review : Tender Loving Care

Book: Tender Loving Care
Author: Jennifer Greene

Publisher: Carina Press
Date Published: March 16, 2011
Pages: -
Source: NetGalley
Date Read: May 28, 2011

When tragedy strikes, Zoe Anderson finds herself in the one role she never expected to have: mother. Sharing guardianship of four-year-old twins with sexy Rafe Kirkland is a responsibility she simply cannot accept. Rafe is just going to have to take care of the boys himself.
Rafe's not prepared to be a single parent either, but deserting the children is not an option—and he's never been as attracted to a woman as he is to their godmother. He proposes a solution: Zoe and the boys will move in with him, at least until other arrangements can be made. Or until he can convince her to make their temporary family permanent.
Zoe reluctantly agrees to the plan, but even after she loses her heart to the twins, she can't possibly take that emotional risk with Rafe…

Summary Taken from Goodreads

Yani's Review:

This was nothing like I thought it would be. I was sort of thinking something along the lines of that movie with Katherine Hiegl, Life as We Know It, and while the plot was similar, the writing just didn't sell it to me. One, it moves very fast. Its a shorter novel, which usually doesn't bother me, but when you are dealing which such an interesting topic as this, I was expecting some hijinks and funny situations that would throw the characters together.

Second, the book was just odd. The four year olds sounded like 12 year olds. The girl (can;t even remember her name now) had an interesting back story that wasn't developed the way I hoped it would be. And the death was hardly mentioned. Also, the spanking scene, just ugh.

The one redeeming part of the story was Rafe. Rugged and charming, who wouldn't fall in love with this volcanic personality. However, other than that everything just fell flat.

Ratings:

Plot: 2/5
Writing Style: 3/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Characters: 4/5

Book Review : Between

Book: Between
Author: Cyndi Tefft

Publisher: Self-Pub
Date Published: April 21, 2011
Pages: 246
Source: Author
Date Read: May 19, 2011

It just figures that the love of Lindsey Water's life isn't alive at all, but the grim reaper, complete with a dimpled smile and Scottish accent.

After transporting souls to heaven for the last 300 years, Aiden MacRae has all but given up on finding the one whose love will redeem him and allow him entry through the pearly gates.

Torn between her growing attraction to Aiden and heaven's siren song, Lindsey must learn the hard way whether love really can transcend all boundaries.

Summary Taken from Goodreads

Yani's Review:

So I am still not really sure how I feel about this book. I was a little turned off by the christian aspect of it, but at the same time it wasn't preachy and actually had some steamy scenes. This Between world is interesting and unique premise, kinda of a limbo for souls, but I thought that things where too easy there. You could make whatever you want happen, and go wherever you want, then why have Heaven?

What I did love about this book was Aiden. Maybe its my thing for Scots after Shade and Shift, but I was completely won over by him and I could see why Lindsey would be too. I also like the struggle she went through trying to figure out whats real and whats not.

Overall, loved the romance (top notch cute/steamy scenes), the plot as a whole could use some work though.

Ratings:

Plot: 3/5
Writing Style: 3/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Characters: 4/5

Similar Titles:

EScott Book Week Review : Grace

As part of this weeks festivities I signed up to review Grace.

Check out my review below and be sure to post your reviews and discussions in the linky below to receive extra entries in The Secret Life of An Avid Reader's EScott Week Giveaway!!

Book: Grace
Author: Elizabeth Scott

Publisher: Dutton
Date Published: September 16, 2010
Pages: 208
Source: Library
Date Read: May 17, 2011

Grace was raised to be an Angel, a herald of death by suicide bomb. But she refuses to die for the cause, and now Grace is on the run, daring to dream of freedom. In search of a border she may never reach, she travels among malevolent soldiers on a decrepit train crawling through the desert. Accompanied by the mysterious Kerr, Grace struggles to be invisible, but the fear of discovery looms large as she recalls the history and events that delivered her uncertain fate.

Told in spare, powerful prose by acclaimed author Elizabeth Scott, this tale of a dystopian near future will haunt readers long after they've reached the final page.

Summary Taken from Goodreads

Yani's Review:

Where to start??? First off, I really didn’t know what to expect from this book. Elizabeth’s work, while being contemporary fictions, ranges from deep and dark to lighter and romantic. I would definitely put this book on former. In the synopsis there is a mention of angels, which at first glance makes you think paranormal, then it mentions suicide bombs and I think “terrorists.” And in a sense this book is about that, but it in no way does that complete the true picture about the message this book sends. And I had no idea what I was getting myself into…

Grace (the book is intense) and well so is Grace the girl. Living in a country where the leaders face is plastered on everything from sodas to clothes, and where songs of praise don’t flow to a god but to him. I am not sure if the dictatorship Grace lives under is based on a real place or not, but you know that it isn’t right. The People, a group determined to stop this unjust leadership, fight for freedom in all the wrong ways. You are left wondering: where is the good in this world? No 16 year old girl should ever have to grow up that way.

Told in Scott’s amazing emotional and sparse writing style I was sucked in. The story jumps from present to past, and while I was confused at first, it lasted about a second before I just wanted to know what was coming next??

This is a genuine story of humanity, good and evil, and about living your life for yourself… or struggling to at least. I highly recommend picking up this short read as the topics have stayed with me and I wonder what I would do if I was Grace. And that is all I will tell you because I don't want to give away the amazing plot points or the shocking moments. =)

Ratings:

Plot: 5/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Characters: 5/5

Memorable Quotes:

“Life is about being alive. It is about living.”

“Everyone I see matters to someone else.”

Rules:

- US Only

- 13 + only
- Runs until May 25, 2011

- May only enter once (on this blog), we will count the extra entries manually

- Each blog is hosting their own giveaway for one set of the books, but here in TSLoaAR, you have a chance to win 1 of 3!

Book Review : The Goddess Test

Book: The Goddess Test (#1)
Author: Aimee Carter

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: April 19, 2011
Pages: 297
Source: ARC
Date Read: April 7, 2011

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

Yani's Analysis:
I was hearing a lot of blog chatter about this book and immediately requested it on Netgalley. It is very different from what I am used to reading and that is probably why I never requested it before even though its been available for a while.

What won me over about this book was the Greek mythology. It was so interesting! And inside this mythical world there was a mystery to solve. It was a super interesting backstory and I love how it was all incorporated into these tests,

However, there where some drawback. Like some reviewers wrote, you have to let go of reality reading this book, just like our main character Kate did. Obviously it’s a mythical world, so how could it be real. My issue was the characters and their actions; sometimes it didn’t seem to make sense to me. I felt like the love was a little rushed and some things could have been developed more, but the backstory and the mystery really kept me reading straight into the night.

The ending was neat, everything was solved, but still open ended enough to know there will be another book coming. One I will definitely be picking up when it comes out. Normally I would give a book like this a Great rather than Amazing rating, but since I could not stop reading and I just wanted to know more and more I gave it Amazing.


Ratings:

Plot: 3/5
Writing Style: 4/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Characters: 4/5

Similar Titles:
I know there are some new Greek mythology ones out there, but I haven't read any yet.

Memorable Quotes:

Book Review : Hex Hall

Book: Hex Hall (Book 1)
Author: Rachel Hawkins

Publisher: Hyperion Books
Release Date: March 2, 2010
Pages: 323
Source: Bookshelf
Date Read: April 10, 2011

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters. 


By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

Yani's Analysis:
What can I say about this book that hasn't been said. This book has been sitting in my bookshelf after I bought a bargain copy from borders. Finally, after reading yet another positive review I picked it up. Rachel Hawkins you have a new fan in me! The book was soooo funny. It almost read like a satire of all things paranormal, yet still had the serious aspects and mystery to it.Rachel's writing is banter like, sarcastic, and filled with pop culture reference/jokes.

Although the book is very funny, there are some strong themes to it. Is evil is inherent or chosen? Does doing one bad things makes you a bad person? All these things are ideal that Sophie struggles with as she doesn't know who to trust is the new school full of paranormal Prodigium.There are so many secrets and more is revealed as you get close to the end.

Sophie goes into that school a carefree and naive girl and in the end she becomes a girl that struggles with the amount of power she possesses."With great power comes great responsibility." I by the end of the book I think Sophie understands that.

Really liked this book, it was so different from other paranormal books and includes every paranormal species.Can't wait to read what comes next!

Ratings:

Plot: 4/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Characters: 5/5

Similar Titles:

Memorable Quotes:

"What, no witty retort? No standard-issue Sophie Mercer comeback?"

Review: Where She Went

Book: Where She Went (If I Stay Book 2)
Author: Gayle Forman

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Release Date: April 5, 2011
Pages: 264
Source: My Kindle
Date Read: April 5, 2011

It's been three years since the devastating accident ... three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.


Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

Yani's Analysis:

Please Do Not Read Unless You Have Read If I Stay

I thought I loved Adam in the first book, but I never connected fully until I felt his pain, anger, and frustration in this book. I now understand how Mia's choice affected others in her life. The choice was never the easy part, but you never realized the after would be this hard.

Adam has changed since Mia's accident and their subsequent break up. He is bitter, angry, and all of a sudden superstitious to the point he almost seems a little crazy. At first I was like who is this guy?  What happened to him? And then you learn more and more about what has happened since we last saw Mia and Adam. In a short span of time Adam lost Mia, Mia's family, and his love of music. I feel his hurt,  and I begin to cry for a whole different reason than If I Stay. Frustration and regret can eat a person till all that is left is a hollow shell. That was Adam at the beginning of this book.

A beautiful journey and a perfect companion to If I Stay. Adding both of these books to my favorite shelves.

Ratings:

Plot: 5/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Characters: 5/5

Memorable Quotes:

"Whoever said that the past isn't dead had it backward. It's the future that's already dead, already played out. This while night has been a mistake. It's not going to let me rewind. Or unmake the mistakes I've made. Or the promises I've made. Or have her back. Or have me back."

Enter the Where She Went Here! 

Review: If I Stay

Book: If I Stay (#1)
Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Release Date: January 1, 2009
Pages: 196
Source: My Kindle
Date Re-Read: April 4, 2011

What if you had everything:

A gorgeous boyfriend who was madly in love with you?
Quirky hip parents who totally got you?
A musical talent that could take you anywhere?
What if your biggest problem in life was choosing which path to take?
Follow your first love--music-- to New York City?
Or stay with your boyfriend, friends, and family?


What if one day, you went out for a drive...

And in an instant everything changed?

What if suddenly all the other choices were gone?

Except for one--the only one that truly mattered?

What would you do?

A sophisticated, layered, and heart achingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands. Summit Entertainment has rights to 'If I Stay' for the movie. (This is my favorite of all the If I Stay synopsis)

Yani's Analysis:
If I Stay is a powerful moving novel unlike anything you have ever read. There have been other emotional novels, but Gayle is the master of bringing you inside the mind and memories of her characters.

Last time I read this book was more than a year ago. I am reading it now to remind myself the details before I start Where She Went, but its funny how much I remember. A couple of pages in and it all starts coming back and I am dreading the emotion I will feel once I flip this page. Mia’s pain, her family’s pain, Adam’s pain… I will always remember. That’s how great of a writer Gayle Forman is. Mia, her family and friends, are no longer characters in a book. They are people that have been struck by tragedy, and as I read I grieve with them,

Mia’s family is one of my favorite literary families. They are not just blood. They are one unit. So you can imagine the pain Mia feels being separated from them. When I picture Mia and her family, they couldn’t be more different, but they have so much love between them.

And Adam, oh Adam, his love for Mia isn’t instantaneous. It grows from a mutual love for music and admiration. I love that the romance wasn’t perfect, it was sweet and genuine. And the way he interacts with her family, I need a guy like that in my life.

As if I didn’t love the story enough, the writing is what seals the deal. This is a unique story, but it wouldn’t be what it is without Gayle’s writing. It is witty, super smart, and haunting. She creates images using words and not because she describe every little detail. She creates images of human emotion and that connects with the readers the most.


Ratings:

Plot: 5/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Characters: 5/5

Similar Titles:

Other Memorable Quotes:

"We are like Humpty Dumpty and all the king's horses and all the king's men cannot put us back together again."

Enter the Where She Went (Sequel to If I Stay) Here!

Review: Between Shades of Gray

Book: Between Shades of Gray
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Publisher: Philomel Books
Release Date: March 22, 2011
Pages: 352
Source: ARC Tour 
Thanks Good Golly Miss Holly
Date Read: April 4, 2011

Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously—and at great risk—documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.

Yani's Analysis:
After I wrote this review I realized it was less of a book review and more of a discussion. Either way my thoughts where brought on by this book: the topic, the characters, and the writing. So I am leaving it at that.

When I was younger we read the Diary of Anne Frank in school and I became obsessed that such evil can exist in this world. I began to read anything WWII related: After the War Carol Matas, Number the Stars Lois Lowry. I even made my parents take me to the Holocaust museum in New York. Yes, my obsession was frightening, but I didn't want to ignore human cruelty, I wanted to learn all I could about it. Humanity is so complex.

The moment I heard about this book the comparisons began. It is hard with books with topics such as these to fictionalize and create realistic and relatable characters, but Ruta did just that with the main character Lina. Told in present tense with certain paragraphs about the past and reference to the future being brought up... Like when she is taken and she says she didn't realize that would be the last time she looked in a mirror for almost a decade. That moment I was affected and by page 31 I was crying.

It's funny how so many books now are based on possible future evils, dystopian and sci-fi, that society or the government causes and we just forget that humanity has let this evil occur before. I don't mean for this to be a political discussion, but this book reminds me that history repeats itself. And while we read these dystopian books for fun, a little part of me always thinks which one will be out future? And even in these worlds where evil occurs there will always be people like Lina, who fight to keep themselves human, even when other do not act that way.

That is the power of books such as these, we find truth and comfort that even in a time as this, there are those that risk everything to help one another. I really enjoyed this book, it was a little slow, but every second was powerful and heart wrenching. You don't hear much of the plight of Stalin's victims, usually its just Hilter's victims and that is a shame. Thank you Ruta for giving the world this book.


Ratings:

Plot: 5/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Characters: 5/5


Other Memorable Quotes:

"I pictured a rug being lifted and a huge Soviet broom sweeping us under it."