I love a good spy book and this one is no exception. Of course, it was not exactly what I was expecting, either. Kari knows all kinds of spy tricks and she definitely knows how to take care of herself, but Kari isn't the actual spy in this tale. Kari's parents are spies and she and her little brother have grown up knowing about their jobs and learning things along the way. When her parents go missing and get accused of being traitors, Kari knows something isn't right and she's determined to get to the bottom of it. She's just going to need a little help from her friends, and maybe a couple of people she's not too fond of. This book was a lot of fun and was full of a great cast of characters. Kari's little brother was a trip and such a cool kid. Luke, Kari's crush, was such a sweet guy and willing to do some pretty crazy things to help her out, but I liked his sister Lacey so much more. Sure she was a bitch, and a total princess, but she constantly cracked me up. They would all be struggling over something, stressing about how they were going to solve this or that problem, and after they'd wracked their brains for a bit, she'd be all "oh, you're looking for such and such, I already know that." Made me LOL every time. My favorite part about this book was how the story all wrapped up. It definitely wasn't exactly what I was expected, but that made it that much more awesome. From what I've been able to find, this is the only book, but I wouldn't be surprised if they decide to continue it into a series. And I will be first in line to read book two. This was a fast paced and fun spy read, I'd definitely recommend it for anyone whose looking for something action packed, but isn't interested in the paranormal!
A love story set against a zombie apocalypse? How is that anything but intriguing? This book was so awesome, but for completely different reasons than I expected. Yes, there were love stories woven into this world, but it's the world that was so flipping amazing. In all honesty, I hadn't much expected much out of this apocalyptic world, because Jamie McGuire is know for her new adult romance novels and I wasn't all that fond of Beautiful Disaster. I gave it a chance, though, because I wanted to see what she was going to do with it and I am so glad that I did. Jamie writes the heck out of a zombie apocalypse. It was intense, gruesome, scary, and totally insane. I don't normally care for books that have so many POV's, because sometimes it's really hard for the author to do each character justice, but in this particular book it really served the story well. Getting to see the horror befalling the world through different eyes gave a really well developed view of all of the things going on. And it was really cool making all the connections between the people as they slowly started coming together. This book also held some serious tragedy, damn zombies, but it all felt true to the story kept things going. I really came to care for all of the characters and wished I could be there kicking ass right beside them.This was so much more than I expected and I'm so glad it was a different story than what I thought it would be. I was reading this alone at night and at one point I got up to get a drink and I was convinced that I could here zombies in my yard. If that doesn't convince you that this book legit, well clearly you've never been home alone and thought there were zombies in your back yard ;0)A definite recommend from me. This one is more horror story than love story and that's the best part!
This book was non-stop and had me guessing and second guessing on just about everything. This is the first book I've read by Cristin Terrill and she is a fantastic writer. This world she created, both timelines, and the characters that populate it are so vivid. Em and Marina live in two completely different worlds, and they also live 4 years apart. Em's job is to travel back 4 years to where Marina is and kill the man that is responsible for the horrible future that she currently inhabits. Sounds fairly cut and dry, but nothing is really as it seems in All Our Yesterdays. Em and Marina are both such interesting characters. Em is darker, her motivations stem from a gruesome world and desperate need to make it all right. Marina, on the surface, is a fairly typical teenage girl. Incredibly self centered and only really concerned about her best friend James and her desperate hope that he loves her the way she loves him. You'd think having these two characters are the main narrators for the book would be jarring, back and forth between such polar opposite personalities. And while it did take me a bit to get used to it, once I got into the story it really gelled together well. I had so many theories on what was really going on throughout the book. On one page I was certain it was one thing, but then by the next chapter I was convinced it was something completely different. This, to me, is the mark of fantastic storytelling. While I was reading, I was under the impression that this was a stand alone novel, and I was fairly satisfied with that. Although I didn't quite understand exactly what was going on at the very end of the book, I did feel like it fit in perfect with the rest of the story. Now I've learned that there is going to be a second book and I am definitely curious to see where Cristin Terrill is planning to take this. This is an awesome book, something a little different from what I usually read, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for fantastic storylines and well drawn characters. This one's a keeper!
I was expecting her reasons for perpetuating the lie to be much stronger, for there to be a much deeper moral dilemma. I didn't hate it, but I don't think the author took full advantage of the potential.
I wasn't super fond of Jo in On Dublin Street, but I was so impressed with Samantha Young's writing and that book as a whole, I picked this one up to give it a shot...we'll see.
I feel like I say this after each new book I read of hers, and I'll probably say it after the next one, but Miranda Kenneally has done it again. Her stories never fail to make me smile and I love reading about her characters. I was a little nervous about this one going in, because it's set at church camp and I'm not really a fan of religious type stories, but even though her faith and God are a large part of Kate's life it never gets preachy or uncomfortable. The role that religion plays in Kate's life is important in setting up her character's behavior and the choices she makes. It also gives her so much room to grow. And then there is Matt...funny, sweet, swoony, Matt. I can't commit to loving him more than Sam Henry, but I sure did love him a lot. I felt like he was such a good balance for Kate. I really liked the fact that he seemed so easy going and really just got along with everyone. It was cool getting to see Parker and Will again. I felt like I got to know both of them a little more in this story and it was nice seeing them interact in a different situation. The camp setting was fantastic. You never know what kind of trouble people are going to get into at camp and the possibilities for fun storylines are pretty much endless. I used to go to a camp every year when I was younger and it totally took me back there. I remember kayaking in the lake and running from snakes in the woods. So it was really fun reading about the counselors and what they get into when the kids aren't around. This is an excellent addition to my Miranda Kenneally library and has definitely cemented her as an auto-buy author for me. If you are a fan of her other books, or if you haven't tried them out yet, I definitely recommend the whole Hundred Oaks series. This lady writes teens and she writes them well :0)
Brianna on the Brink isn't fast paced or action packed, but it does pack a bit of a punch. Brianna's story definitely has life altering consequences and we start to see what those are from page one. While a bit jarring at first, to start right from where the problems really start to snowball, it ended up really working for me. We get a lot of Brianna's backstory worked in throughout the book and by the end I felt like I had a whole picture of Brianna's life. Things for Brianna have never been easy. She has a mother who doesn't really want to be one, a tough as nails sister who doesn't put up with much, and a best friend who is more like a best frenemy. So once everything went down at the beginning of the book I found myself trying really hard to figure out how this all could possibly end up okay for Brianna, but I guess that's the quiet magic of this book. The situation she finds herself in is incredibly awkward and a little unbelievable, but Nicole McInnes writes it in such a way that it just works. There aren't any bells and whistles to this book, it is strictly about people who are trying to get past some awful things and how they end up helping each other through it. The two main characters are very solid and well fleshed out, the secondary characters really stay more in the background, but it's still a full story. It was a quick read for me, because I found myself really wanting to know where things were going to go. I defiintely think this is a good read for anyone looking for something about real people just pushing their way through life
