Review: Replica

Replica by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I listened to this book, and Lyra's story was first. I was very interested in the plot line, the clones, her story-telling about the new world for her, the relationship with 72. I wasn't ready for it to be over, but there were times that my mind drifted and I wasn't paying attention, this is rare if I love the book. Then I listened to Gemma's story and didn't like her very much. I understand why Lyra thought she was a monster; she'd been told that and treated as such for years by the Haven employees. But Gemma and April and the internal dialog about clones being monsters irritated me and the juvenile drama between them. Do teenagers really act so dumb and immature, maybe, but I didn't like it. It rubbed me the wrong way and the book started to fall flat for me. Especially when I realized that Gemma's story wasn't going to finish the book for me, but this is most likely a trilogy. I'm not sure if I want to spend more energy on this story, I would for Lyra's part with 72, but not crazy about Gemma and her instant love. So it was okay and an interesting story. I've read Lauren Oliver in the past and loved some of her books (like Delirium) and others I just liked and some I couldn't get past the first chapter. But many others like it, and it is definitely YA Fantasy!

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Review: Before I Fall

SO I am revamping this review because I found it was a book I'd read over the summer and rated it but failed to write an actual review of it. So I put something down real quick the other day from my memory.  THEN, I read that the book was turned into a movie which comes out in March 2017.  I watched the trailer and you can too below. And all the feels and emotions came back.  And the new cover is awesome!!

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This story is like a mix between the great movie Groundhog's Day and some good teenage flick that I've never seen (Mean Girls, maybe??).  Anyway, the interactions with her friends are so genuine and authentic for the age.  The choices she makes, the time she takes to change herself, her situation and best of all figure out why the hell she's reliving the same day over and over again.  It is brilliantly crafted, and the storyline unfolds leaving you with wanting more and more. The ending is stellar and sad, but you've known that from the beginning or did you...

I don't want to spoil it for you if you end up reading it or just watching the movie.  I know I will.

Very good story, engaging and a very compelling story. But so sad as well.

Lauren Oliver really writes books that make you think about your relationships. Great story.

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Review: A Family of Her Own

A Family of Her Own by Brenda Novak
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I've read other Brenda Novak novels and I really like them. But this series has disappointed me. The dialog and characters seem stiff and lifeless. I didn't connect with the characters or the story. I finished it, and it was good enough, so that I did, in fact, finish it, but it was very forgettable, even now, I struggle to remember the plot and I just finished it yesterday. I don't recommend this book, but I loved Brenda Novak's Whiskey Creek Series. I guess the Dundee Series isn't for me. This is the second book in the series I've read and I don't care to read anymore.

Oh and on a side note, Katie's parents were despicable. I kept thinking to myself that I will never treat my children like this and wanted to rush out to talk to my husband about how they treated their children. Christianity is shown in a bad light, which I'm not totally against, but these religious idiots were the worse offenders of small-town gossip.

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Re-reading books

I recall re-reading my favorite books when I was young.  I got "Gone With The Wind" for my fifteenth birthday and read it over the course of two days, that thousand page sweeping romantic drama stole my heart even more than the movie. The movie is still one of my all-time favorites, but the book is delicious. The story and the emotions it simmered inside of me brought happiness into my life when at times I was unhappy. When I didn't have time for a 1000-page engrossing page turner but wanted to recreate those feelings, I would re-read the last 50 pages or so, and the story would flood in.

So escaping into the book became a regular occurrence during my teen years. On Saturdays, we had to clean the house top to bottom. My room was usually a mess, so I would have a legitimate reason to be in there for hours, but I became really good at shoving my open book under my pillow and racing to look like I was cleaning when my mom came down the hall. Then I would do a little more cleaning and get right back to my book. I wasn't the stereotypical bookworm shown in movie or books, despite my deep love and affection for stories, I was very social.  Years later as an enlightened adult, I realize I'm split between an introvert and an extrovert. In school, I was social and had a group of friends that I spent lots of time with, but then the weekend came, and I loved spending all weekend at home without my friends. I got to recharge. It worried my older motherly sister that I wanted to spend Friday nights in front of the tv watching a movie or reading a book, but I just knew I needed to be by myself.

Now, with five children in my house and an extrovert husband, I need to escape. So sometimes when I don't want to search for a new book to read, I will go back to my favorites. This week I needed an escape from the election aftermath, so I re-read Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi, a YA dystopian romance. This is actually the third time to read it since I discovered it in June.  Want to know what I'm reading and what I want to read, then check out my Goodreads account.

Do you have books that you like to re-read?  I realize that many times it's because of the love interest is yummy, the dialog, the hilarity or other things bring me back to these books. Sometimes, like in Outlander, I know the story so well, and I don't care for all the descriptions and other stuff that make it an enormous book I will skip to the sections that just have the dialog or parts with Jaime and Claire.

Books (off the top of my head) that I've read more than twice:

1. Gone With The Wind
2. Pride and Prejudice
3. Emma
4. Shopaholic Series
5. Jane Eyre
6. Villette
7. Outlander
8. Almost all Susan Elizabeth Phillip's books
9. Some of Jill Shalvis' books
10. All of Sophie Kinsella's books (author of Shopaholic and more)
11. Divergent Series
12. Big Girl Panties
13. The Selection Series
14. Shatter Me Series

15. The Swallow (of course but mostly due to editing, though I do love this story)
16. Fifty Shades of Grey Series

Happy reading!

Isabelle

Review: The Glittering Court

The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to the audiobook, and I'm so glad I did because of the accents. It is an adventurous story, and I loved the heroine. So bold and daring. The love story was slow and appealing, and the descriptions made the fantasy/historical world come alive. The dialog was quick and witty. The characters were complex, and I didn't anticipate the ending at all. I was completely swept away in the story. I went straight away to start listening to the second book and was disappointed that I'll have to wait until May 2017. The book crosses two continents with adventure, intrigue, and passion throughout. The story concluded very nicely, and the next two book will be about different characters already introduced. Beautiful and captivating story.

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Review: Marry Me for Money

Marry Me for Money by Mia Kayla
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I slowly fell in love with Beth and Kent

I got this book free, and I wasn't expecting much, but then Kent and Beth started spending time together, and I couldn't get enough of it. She writes the heat between the character so well and talk about a slow burn. The book is written well, and I cried so much at the end. I loved it and can't wait to read the next book! And despite things working out, it felt natural and although not unexpected; it was a great ending!

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Review: The Offering by Jessika Fleck

This book was written by a friend of mine, Jessika Fleck. She has it on Swoon Reads, and if she gets enough hearts (rating system), then it will be reviewed for publishing.

I read it in the last two days and wanted to share it with all of you.  Please check it out for free and rate it:  The Offering

My Review:

Love the characters. The inner conflict about her love for Nico and the struggle with her place in their society and the forbidden nature of the friendship. Then the introduction of Dorian and The Night. The Offering and depiction of the brutality and merciless nature of the society were thrilling and heartwrenching. I can't wait to read book two. I loved it, and I want to know what happens next. I didn't want it to end!!!

For readers that love Fantasy, this is a great YA Fantasy book, for those that aren't big fantasy fans (like me) it is such a great story and gripped me from the beginning. Similar Stories: It isn't exactly like Shatter Me series, but it definitely had moments when it reminded me of it. Exceptional!

The description from Swoon Reads:
In Veda's world, they worship the Sun and kill the weak. Her life is a daily struggle of survival, but the one saving grace is her forbidden friendship with Nico. The laws are clear: Nico's blood is gold, hers is mud. The two don't mix.

But when Nico enlists in the crusade against her kind, his betrayal forces her to act. She joins a group determined to fight the unjust persecution of her people, and Veda soon learns, in a place where blood is dirty or clean, her blood is neither: a detail that changes everything.