Showing posts with label 2 Stars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2 Stars. Show all posts
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Title: The Break-Up Artist
Author: Philip Siegel
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: April 29, 2014
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Some sixteen-year-olds babysit for extra cash.
Some work at the mall.
Becca Williamson breaks up couples.
Becca knows from experience the damage that love can do. After all, it was so-called love that turned Huxley from her childhood best friend into a social-world dictator, and love that left Becca's older sister devastated at the altar. Instead of sitting on the sidelines, Becca strikes back—for just one hundred dollars via PayPal, she will trick and manipulate any couple's relationship into smithereens. And with relationship zombies overrunning her school and treating single girls as if they're second-class citizens, business is unfortunately booming. Even Becca's best friend, Val, has resorted to outright lies to snag a boyfriend.
One night, Becca receives a mysterious offer to break up the most popular couple in school: Huxley and raw football team's star player, Steve. To succeed, she'll have to plan her most elaborate scheme to date—starting rumors, sabotaging cell phones, breaking into cars...not to mention sneaking back into Huxley's good graces. All while fending off the inappropriate feelings she may or may not be having for Val's new boyfriend.
No one said being the Break-Up Artist would be easy.
My Thoughts
The idea of being a "break-up artist" honestly struck me as interesting when I first read it, but sadly the novel was a bit of a letdown for me. The plot was alright, but what really annoyed me was how all the characters were depicted as these shallow girls who only cared about having boyfriends. It's far from realistic and might even be received as insulting by some.
I didn't like Becca. She pretends like she's too good for love and is dead set on pushing it away and mocking the people who believe in it, but when she thinks she feels it, and for her best friend's boyfriend no less, it's suddenly okay? She and her sister Diane came off as self-righteous to me; I can't even count the times I found myself rolling my eyes at them, which was really a shame because the premise of The Break-Up Artist seemed so promising.
Maybe it's just not for me. It's not something I would go around recommending, but I guess if you don't mind dealing with the characters' pettiness (or if you happen not to find them petty at all), then it's not too bad a read.
My Rating
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Author: Ann Brashares
Publication Date: April 8, 2014
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Time Travel
Synopsis from Goodreads:
An unforgettable epic romantic thriller about a girl from the future who might be able to save the world . . . if she lets go of the one thing she’s found to hold on to.
Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love.
This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins.
Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth.
But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves.
From Ann Brashares, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsseries, The Here and Now is thrilling, exhilarating, haunting, and heartbreaking--and a must-read novel of the year.
My Thoughts
I was very excited to read this because, heck. It’s by Ann Brashares! I loved her Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, and I was just ecstatic to know that I’ll be able to read another book of hers. But, sadly, I was disappointed. I don’t know if it’s because I just set my expectations so high, or what, but I didn’t like The Here and Now so much. Why?
- The pacing. I found myself reading but not really reading, as if I was just skimming through them. The fact is, I wasn’t. I just didn’t know what happened. I saw that I was already halfway through the book, around 50-60% of it, and I was really surprised. I didn’t feel that I was halfway through the book already because it seemed to me that not much things are happening. Or maybe there were many things happening at the same time.
- The characters. I didn’t feel attached to any of the characters, most especially Ethan. I found it convenient for him to be someone that was needed in the situation. It was unrealistic because really. Life doesn’t just happen that way, that one person could be all the things that we need. Ethan seemed too perfect in that way, and I didn’t like that. On the other hand, Prenna just has this talent of making all sorts of bad decisions. There were just a lot of times that I just want to wring her head out because I was very frustrated. Although, to give her the benefit of doubt, it may be because the society is very different from the futuristic society she came from. But still. Just how much awful decisions can you make in a span of how many days or weeks?
- Insta-love. No, no, no. That did not just happen. Technically, it wasn’t really insta-love because the guy had been in love with Prenna for years. Still, no. It was semi-insta-love because it kind of happened when Ethan first met Prenna, but their relationship was a little bit bland for me. And, they just lacked the sparks I wanted for a romance novel.
- The plot. It got repetitive for me at some point, and it sort of annoyed me that Prenna and Ethan knew the depth of whatever is happening, but the things that they were doing did not justify it. Playing cards, for one. They played cards a lot. /sad
I really tried my best to like this novel, but it didn’t work out for me. However, I loved the idea of the plague that happened during Prenna’s time though. It shows a possibility of what can happen in the future, and it’s frightening. Especially with all sorts of virus and sickness popping out now, this, in doubt, is very probable. I also liked the determination of the characters to save the world, and how Prenna wrote letters to her dead young brother about the "present.” It was entertaining to see what her reactions were. All in all, there were just more reasons for me not to like The Here and Now. However, this might work out better for others.
My Rating
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Title: Without YouAuthor: Julie Prestsater
Publication Date: February 14, 2014
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Music
Synopsis from Goodreads:
When two people connect, they can make beautiful music together. But what happens when music is the thing that tears them apart?
Evan James had it all. Drop-dead sexy, brilliantly talented musician, a skyrocketing career and his high school sweetheart by his side. When he’s offered a golden opportunity to go on tour, he never imagined she wouldn’t go with him. Without her, he found his dream meant nothing. Three years later, bereft and alone, Evan stops at an open mic night and spots someone sitting in the audience, the beautiful face of a woman he’d never forget...Maddy, his one true love.
Madison Grey had only ever loved one man. When Evan broke her heart she had no choice but to move on with her life, start a career of her own, and she even finds a new love. Still, thoughts of Evan were never put to rest. And on one fateful night, she unexpectedly hears him pour his heart out into a new song. A song about broken hearts, lost love, and second chances. A song about her.
With the help of their scheming friends, Maddy and Evan are thrown into each other’s lives once more. While learning to love and trust again, there is only one thing left on both of their minds... Is life better with or without you?
Review
It seems like I’m one of the different ones because I didn’t enjoy this novel that much. Okay, sue me. I really had high hopes with this novel because the synopsis itself has sucked me in already, but I was disappointed.
Maddy and Evan were separated from each other because of Evan’s opportunity to go on tour. He was a really talented musician, but he never thought that Maddy wouldn’t be going with him. Three years later, Evan comes back and have an open mic, singing a song for Maddy, not realising that she was also at the open mic.
It was obvious that the two of them were meant to be, but Maddy was just simply stubborn and insecure. The way Evan and Maddy’s best friends became matchmakers was really cute and awesome. It had me smiling at some point, especially when the both of them came to the point of realisation that they were both match-made. Her best friends were also amazing; they knew when to push Maddy and when not to, and it was simply obvious that they just want the best for her.
Evan was truly an admirable character, particularly when he tries really hard to fix things up. He knows when he screws up and can admit his own mistakes. He was able to learn from them, and from there, he really learned to treasure those who are very dear to him. He just does not give up in doing what he think is right because he absolutely knows what he wants. Also, the things that he’d do for Maddy were simply amazing. His song lyrics just made me swoon over him. Although he was like this, it got annoying when he just spent almost the entire half of the book thinking, “I want her back because I can’t live without her.” Yeah, I do get that from his repetitive thoughts, and it was tiring.
On the other hand, Maddy obviously loves Evan, but what the heck was she doing. She was very insecure, and that did nothing but hurt both of them. It’s really stupid. I think she’s also too proud to admit her own mistakes, and that shouldn’t be the case, because Evan was able to grow from his own mistakes. She won’t admit her mistakes, but she also won’t give chances to explain. Seriously? What the heck are you doing? She spent half of the book convincing herself she doesn’t like Evan anymore, but the other half of the book was spent kissing and making out with Evan. Ohmycrap.
There were some inconsistencies in the novel, but that’s really minor, so it doesn’t really bother me. The pacing was also bothersome, at one point, Maddy was so so so so so mad at Evan, and then a few chapters over, they’re both together again. Like, what? What happened? The two of them together was sweet and swoony, though.
Despite my lots of rants, Without You is light and easy to read, and the way music was incorporated in to the plot was beautiful. This may not have worked out for me, but other new adult, contemporary romance readers may like this. After all, it’s about learning to open up once again.
Maddy and Evan were separated from each other because of Evan’s opportunity to go on tour. He was a really talented musician, but he never thought that Maddy wouldn’t be going with him. Three years later, Evan comes back and have an open mic, singing a song for Maddy, not realising that she was also at the open mic.
It was obvious that the two of them were meant to be, but Maddy was just simply stubborn and insecure. The way Evan and Maddy’s best friends became matchmakers was really cute and awesome. It had me smiling at some point, especially when the both of them came to the point of realisation that they were both match-made. Her best friends were also amazing; they knew when to push Maddy and when not to, and it was simply obvious that they just want the best for her.
Evan was truly an admirable character, particularly when he tries really hard to fix things up. He knows when he screws up and can admit his own mistakes. He was able to learn from them, and from there, he really learned to treasure those who are very dear to him. He just does not give up in doing what he think is right because he absolutely knows what he wants. Also, the things that he’d do for Maddy were simply amazing. His song lyrics just made me swoon over him. Although he was like this, it got annoying when he just spent almost the entire half of the book thinking, “I want her back because I can’t live without her.” Yeah, I do get that from his repetitive thoughts, and it was tiring.
On the other hand, Maddy obviously loves Evan, but what the heck was she doing. She was very insecure, and that did nothing but hurt both of them. It’s really stupid. I think she’s also too proud to admit her own mistakes, and that shouldn’t be the case, because Evan was able to grow from his own mistakes. She won’t admit her mistakes, but she also won’t give chances to explain. Seriously? What the heck are you doing? She spent half of the book convincing herself she doesn’t like Evan anymore, but the other half of the book was spent kissing and making out with Evan. Ohmycrap.
There were some inconsistencies in the novel, but that’s really minor, so it doesn’t really bother me. The pacing was also bothersome, at one point, Maddy was so so so so so mad at Evan, and then a few chapters over, they’re both together again. Like, what? What happened? The two of them together was sweet and swoony, though.
Despite my lots of rants, Without You is light and easy to read, and the way music was incorporated in to the plot was beautiful. This may not have worked out for me, but other new adult, contemporary romance readers may like this. After all, it’s about learning to open up once again.
My Rating
I don't give half stars, but I think Without You isn't some two-star book, but it's not a three-star for me, either. So I decided to give this 2.5 instead.
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Title: The OriginalsAuthor: Cat Patrick
Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance, Science Fiction
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey Best grew up believing they were identical triplets.
Then they learned the truth...
and no one else can know.
Now, to the outside world, the Best family appears to consist of a single mother with one seventeen-year-old daughter named Elizabeth. Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey take turns going to school, pursuing extracurriculars, and even dating.
Then Lizzie meets Sean Kelly, the one person who can help her realize she's not a carbon copy of the others - she's an individual with unique dreams and desires. Digging deeper into her background and her mother's role in her life, Lizzie begins to dismantle the delicate balance of an unusual family that only science could have created.
Review
I've seen this title in bookstores a lot of times already, and I guess that's one of the reasons why I felt like I should give it a shot. The summary seemed okay; it kind of got me curious about how the author would make such a story play out.Unfortunately, I was really disappointed after (and even while) reading this book. The main character herself got on my nerves real quick. Lizzie is just so immature about everything. She agrees to something, but when she doesn’t win the deal, she complains about how unfair it is. Would it kill her to be a little less selfish? I get that she feels like she doesn’t have a life because she has to share it with her two sisters, but throwing all these tantrums because of a boy? It’s really stupid.
The idea for the plot was new (for me at least), but the rest of the story was not quite compelling enough. I felt that the whole story wasn't explained thoroughly, leaving a lot of questions unanswered. A few characters seemed like they were just thrown in for convenience, then they’re never heard of again. Some parts of it were just shallow for me, as I thought it would deal with more serious matters than a teenage girl whining over not getting what she wanted. There were some interesting events, I admit, but others were just bland.
Overall, it was an okay read, but I’m sorry to say that I don’t think it’s something that would really leave a mark on its readers. If you’re up for it, though, you can give it a try!
Rating
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Title: Double Fault (Vortex #2)Author: Janine Caldwell
Publication Date: March 11, 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Time Travel
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Double Fault is the 2nd book in The Vortex Series where Cassie and Trent’s problems have only just begun. As they fight through the repercussions of creating a parallel world, other dangers are lurking. After years of running, Trent and his orphaned sister, Lorelai, sense the dangerous and power-hungry Dr. Fox is close to discovering their whereabouts.
While Cassie fears for Trent’s life, her tennis career hangs in the balance. Caught between her old and new life, she watches her world slowly crumble until it’s a tragic portrayal of all that she used to know. But worse yet, if her secret is revealed, she might lose what’s most dear to her heart.
Review
Okay. So Double Fault didn’t end up much better than Rematch for me. Maybe this series was more of a it’s not you, it’s me thing for me, but I was expecting a development in the supernatural aspect. This book remained to have little supernatural elements, and the plot just simply became very predictable. Moreover, I didn’t like the characters any better.
Cassie got really clingy, and it was really annoying. The decisions she made are really immature, and OHMYGLOB. What decisions are you seriously making? It’s just so messed up. I liked the way she was trying her best dealing with everything that is happening to her (most especially the family problems) though, but I feel like her best is still not enough.
Spending a whole lifetime avoiding Fox made me thought that the showdown between Fox and Trent will be suspensive, but I just didn’t feel it. I liked the way Fox’s tragic backstory was told though. I also didn’t like the romance between Trent and Cassie because it didn’t seem genuine. The love triangle between Trent/Cassie/Jeff also made me cringe. Maybe primarily because Trent was an over-jealous guy and Jeff was very childish and immature.
This book ended with a cliffhanger, but it didn’t really get me excited for the next book. I don’t know if I’d still continue on with the final instalment. Uh, maybe not.
Cassie got really clingy, and it was really annoying. The decisions she made are really immature, and OHMYGLOB. What decisions are you seriously making? It’s just so messed up. I liked the way she was trying her best dealing with everything that is happening to her (most especially the family problems) though, but I feel like her best is still not enough.
Spending a whole lifetime avoiding Fox made me thought that the showdown between Fox and Trent will be suspensive, but I just didn’t feel it. I liked the way Fox’s tragic backstory was told though. I also didn’t like the romance between Trent and Cassie because it didn’t seem genuine. The love triangle between Trent/Cassie/Jeff also made me cringe. Maybe primarily because Trent was an over-jealous guy and Jeff was very childish and immature.
This book ended with a cliffhanger, but it didn’t really get me excited for the next book. I don’t know if I’d still continue on with the final instalment. Uh, maybe not.
Rating
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Title: Rematch (Vortex #1)Author: Janine Caldwell
Publication Date: March 11, 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Time Travel
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Trent Astor is many things—orphan, runaway, musician. But what’s most extraordinary about Trent is that he’s a time traveler. His supernatural gift sends him on missions to the past to save unsuspecting victims from harm. However, when he fails to save the life of a young girl, his life changes in ways he could never have dreamed.
At eleven-years-old, Cassie Moore suffered through a horrific shooting. Tragically scarred from the ordeal, the once promising tennis prodigy was forced to throw away all hope of a future in tennis. Now, as she begins her senior year of high school, the past continues to haunt her. She struggles to find herself, her self-esteem at an all time low. If only she could resolve the past, she might be able to move on with her life. She never imagined that could be possible until she meets the gorgeous new student in her PE class.
Review
Time traveling is one of the few supernatural aspects that I really like. I have no idea why, but the idea of being able to time-travel is really awesome. Not to mention that I love music-related plots, no matter how small it is, like if the main character is musically-inclined, it’s something that suits me well. Seeing that this book’s male protagonist, Trent, is both a musician and a time traveler made me excited to read this book. However, I think this time around, it just didn’t work for me.
Cassie was annoying in the way that she has no self-confidence, and just kept on doubting herself. She kept on thinking about all the what-ifs in life, and it got me irritated. She has a lot of insecurities, and I know she isn’t doing it on purpose, but it’s like she’s trying to fish for compliments to make herself feel better. The way she cares and worries for Trent was cute, though.
Trent was also too kept up in the past for what has happened to Cassie, and kept on doing things without asking for Cassie’s opinion. He should have known better the rules of becoming a time-traveler. Time is something not to be messed with, after all. I love his relationship with Lorelai, his sister, and I could just feel the sibling love they have. I hope that there were a lot more Lorelai-Trent scenes.
I didn’t like the love between Cassie and Trent, as it looked kind of an insta-love thing, and it didn’t make their relationship look more genuine. Not to mention that everything started to revolve around the two of them, and it seemed like the relationship with the outer world just stopped. Although, there were some interactions between the two of them that I found adorable.
Rematch is told on the perspective of both characters, but I found the alternating POVs somewhat confusing, especially when it’s not really written. I found myself skipping through some pages, most especially on Cassie’s POV, and wanting to read Trent’s POV more. I kept on waiting for something big to happen, most especially somewhere around the threat and danger from Trent’s powers because there was some mad scientist chasing after him, but it didn’t really happen.
Maybe I was just expecting more of time-traveling aspects rather than romance that’s why I didn’t like Rematch that much. I think I would have liked this better if I hadn’t have that expectation. Nevertheless, I think I’m going to still try reading the sequel, Double Fault, and hope that it’ll be something better for me.
Cassie was annoying in the way that she has no self-confidence, and just kept on doubting herself. She kept on thinking about all the what-ifs in life, and it got me irritated. She has a lot of insecurities, and I know she isn’t doing it on purpose, but it’s like she’s trying to fish for compliments to make herself feel better. The way she cares and worries for Trent was cute, though.
Trent was also too kept up in the past for what has happened to Cassie, and kept on doing things without asking for Cassie’s opinion. He should have known better the rules of becoming a time-traveler. Time is something not to be messed with, after all. I love his relationship with Lorelai, his sister, and I could just feel the sibling love they have. I hope that there were a lot more Lorelai-Trent scenes.
I didn’t like the love between Cassie and Trent, as it looked kind of an insta-love thing, and it didn’t make their relationship look more genuine. Not to mention that everything started to revolve around the two of them, and it seemed like the relationship with the outer world just stopped. Although, there were some interactions between the two of them that I found adorable.
Rematch is told on the perspective of both characters, but I found the alternating POVs somewhat confusing, especially when it’s not really written. I found myself skipping through some pages, most especially on Cassie’s POV, and wanting to read Trent’s POV more. I kept on waiting for something big to happen, most especially somewhere around the threat and danger from Trent’s powers because there was some mad scientist chasing after him, but it didn’t really happen.
Maybe I was just expecting more of time-traveling aspects rather than romance that’s why I didn’t like Rematch that much. I think I would have liked this better if I hadn’t have that expectation. Nevertheless, I think I’m going to still try reading the sequel, Double Fault, and hope that it’ll be something better for me.
Rating
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Finding Cinderella (Hopeless #2.5)
by Colleen Hoover
Summary
This novella is a companion novel to the Hopeless series, but can be read as a standalone.
A chance encounter in the dark leads eighteen-year-old Daniel and the girl who stumbles across him to profess their love for each other. But this love comes with conditions: they agree it will only last one hour and it will only be make-believe.
When their hour is up and the girl rushes off like Cinderella, Daniel tries to convince himself that what happened between them only seemed perfect because they were pretending it was perfect. Moments like that with girls like her don’t happen outside of fairytales.
One year and one bad relationship later, his disbelief in insta-love is stripped away the day he meets Six: a girl with a strange name and an even stranger personality. Daniel soon realizes the way he pretended to feel about Cinderella and the way he really feels about Six may not be so different after all. Especially when the two loves of his life end up being one in the same.
Unfortunately for Daniel, finding Cinderella doesn’t guarantee their happily ever after…it only further threatens it.
Review
To begin with, I have to say that I am not one to believe in love at first sight – it’s cliché, and the romance between Six and Daniel progressed too quickly for my liking. For the most part, the scenes centered on their making out, which didn’t bode well for me. Such actions did, however, suit their personalities, so I won’t dwell too much on that. I was actually expecting something big to happen, something that would change the course of the story, but it just didn’t have that moment. I felt that the plot was a bit rushed, and the ending was just this abrupt cut-off of the whole thing. That might be due to it being a novella, but either way, it disappointed me.
On the bright side, I did consider it a fun read. It was nice to be able to reconnect with Sky and Holder after reading Hopeless, and the banters between Six and Daniel were pretty amusing. The beginning of the novella was interesting to read, actually, because it sort of resembled a fairytale (Cinderella, as you can tell from the title). Also, I could tell that as the story went on, they were able to help each other grow and improve themselves, and with me being a sucker for that kind of character development, that made me like the whole thing a little more.
So if you’re looking for something short and entertaining, you should check this one out!
My Rating
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