Book Review: How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

My thoughts:

I love this book! I just finished it a few minutes ago and I just HAD to write a review. I randomly picked this book up at the library because the cover was pretty and the story line seemed intriguing.

The story jumps back and forth from the point of view of two girls, Jill and Mandy. As their stories unfolded I couldn't help but feel sorry for both of the girls and I soon found myself rooting for them as their stories started to intervene. I loved the ending; it left a smile on my face.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a heart warming story. :] 

     Rating: :] :] :] :] :] 5 out of 5 

                        Synopsis from Goodreads:

 Jill MacSweeney just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she’s been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends—everyone who wants to support her. And when her mom decides to adopt a baby, it feels like she’s somehow trying to replace a lost family member with a new one.

Mandy Kalinowski understands what it’s like to grow up unwanted—to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, one thing she’s sure of is that she wants a better life for her baby. It’s harder to be sure of herself. Will she ever find someone to care for her, too?

As their worlds change around them, Jill and Mandy must learn to both let go and hold on, and that nothing is as easy—or as difficult—as it seems

Out of Sight, Out of Time (Gallagher Girls #5) Review

Synopsis from Goodreads :


The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family from the Circle of Cavan--an ancient terrorist organization that has been hunting her for over a year. But when Cammie wakes up in an alpine convent and discovers months have passed, she must face the fact that her memory is now a black hole. The only traces left of Cammie’s summer vacation are the bruises on her body and the dirt under her nails, and all she wants is to go home. 

Once she returns to school, however, Cammie realizes that even the Gallagher Academy now holds more questions than answers. Cammie, her friends, and mysterious spy-guy Zach must face their most difficult challenge yet as they travel to the other side of the world, hoping to piece together the clues that Cammie left behind. It’s a race against time. The Circle is hot on their trail and willing stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer .

My Rating: *****5 Stars!


My Review: 
A riveting read! Gosh, every time that I finish one of Ally Carter's books, I say that it is the best one yet. I am glad there is another book following this one(well I hope there will be one). It has been a while since I read the 4th book in the Gallagher Girls series, so I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the plot in this latest book. No worrying needed though because I was still able to understand and keep up with the characters. 
This book was full of action action and did I say action? The only downside was that Cammie was a little annoying in this book (she kept running away from her friends) though you can't help but feel bad for her at some parts. Other than that though the book was a blast to read! 

13 Reason Why by Jay Asher * 5 out of 5 stars!*

Love Love Love Love this book! I thought it was a fantastic story that was very well written. At first I was hesitant to read this book because it was about suicide. Lets admit it, it's a scary topic and no one really wants to talk about it. But in 2007, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. with more then 30,000 deaths according to nimh.nih.gov. This book, "13 Reasons Why" by Jay Asher takes us into the world of Hannah Baker, where we are able to experience her thoughts and reasoning for killing herself. This book shows us that our actions, no matter how small, does effect others; for better or worse. I highly recommend everyone to read this book, I thought it was fantastic. The author, Jay Asher, makes me want to change the world. I really hope he writes more books in the future. :)


Here is the synopsis from Goodreads.

 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.

Book Review :)

Book: God's Answers 4 UR Life
Author: Steve Russo
Publisher: Barbour Publshing,
Inc.

Synopsis: Searching for real answers about life—helpful answers that you can really trust? God’s Answers 4 UR Life responds to 125 everyday life issues from popular Bible versions. With relevant topics that include body mod, consequences, depression, eating disorders, music, purpose, and more, you’ll find just the answers you’re seeking as well as relevant life application sections written by popular youth speaker and ministry leader Steve Russo.

My thoughts: I've read a fair share of spirituality books and I have to say this is one one the best. Being a teen, I felt like I could actually relate to the massages in this book. It offers a number of real life experiences that I could understand along with quotes from the bible. There are numerous topics mentioned in this book from abuse to success. I really enjoyed reading this and when I'm facing a situation I feel like I can come back and reference this book for help. I suggest this book to anyone who wants to understand the bible more. 

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins 5 out of 5 stars! :)

So I finished reading the second installment of Hex Hall last week and it's brought me hope! Gosh I love this book so much. If I could give it million stars I would. Rachel Hawkins totally outdid herself in this one. Some parts were funny some parts were sad but I felt as though I could connect with the characters throughout the book. I have to admit though there were some parts that seemed a bit rushed and other parts that seemed a bit unrealistic but this is a fiction book so I'll let it pass since I loved the book so much. If you enjoyed Hex Hall I think you'll love this one a bajillion times more! :)

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.

But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

K thanks all for now. I hope you guys have a splendid night or day depending on where you are. ;)

Only the Good Spy Young Stars by Ally Carter 5 out of 5!! *****

I hope everyone had a nice Monday today. It seems to be taking me forever to finish reading those books so I am going to do an update on my favorite book in the Gallagher Series by Ally Carter. It's her most recent book released sometime last year called, Only the Good Spy Young. (I think all of her book titles are very creative!) For those of you who have already read this book there's going to be a 5th book as well! It should be out Jan/Feb of next year 2012!!! :))

My thoughts: This book was probably the best in the whole series and I'm not going to lie but the books were starting to bore me a bit but this one got hook, line, and sinker. I found it so be very refreshing and the whole romantic escapade is really starting to take off! I was very very excited about the ending as well, just fantastic! If you want to read this book but don't want to get through the entire series first, I suggest you just skip the rest and read this one. ( I honestly couldn't remember most of the other books anyways)

Here is the summary from Ally Carter's site:

Blue is For Nightmares series by Laurie Faria Stolarz * 4.5 out of 5 stars*

Since I haven't been reviewing books for a while, I've decided to review a series that I really enjoy. The Blue is For Nightmares series is a great read. They're short, suspenseful and just plain awesome. This series had me hanging onto my eyeballs because they were going to pop out of my head. (In a good way though) These books had an eerie feel to it as well. There were times when I just wanted to close my eyes or shield myself with a blanket, but of course I couldn't because I had to know what happened. This series was so fantastic, I really liked it a lot; even though it gave me nightmares, but it was all worth it.

So here is a synopsis of the first book from B&N:

"I Know Your Secret . . ."

It started with weird e-mails and freaky phone calls. Now someone's leaving Drea white lilies—the same death lilies that have been showing up in Stacy's dreams. Everybody thinks it's just a twisted game . . . until another girl at school is brutally murdered.

There are no witnesses. Worst of all, no one has a perfect alibi. With everyone as a potential suspect, Stacy turns to the one secret weapon she can trust-the folk magic taught to her by her grandmother. Will Stacy's magic be strong enough to expose the true killer, or will the killer make her darkest nightmares come true?

- If you guys end up reading it or if you already did tell me your thoughts. I love knowing your opinions! Alright thats all for now. Goodbye guys, have a great Saturday!

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead "4.5 out of 5 stars"

Sadly I finished this book yesterday. I attempted to drag this book out for as long as possible because I didn't want this series to ever end. Unfortunately, my curiosity got the best of me and now  my time has come. This book wasn't my favorite one but it wasn't terrible.SPOILER ALERT COMING UP NOW:  I don't know why but Adrian, really annoyed me in this book. The whole time I just wanted to rip him and Rose apart. But in the end I am glad with who she ended up with. Hooray!! There were also parts in this book where I felt needed more explanation, like how certain people knew about her relationship with Dimitri? I don't know but I felt as if the book was sort of rushed towards the end. But Rose has really grown up since the first time we met her and I hope we can catch glimpses of her in Richelle Mead's new series, Blood Lines!

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead "5 out of 5 stars"

 

Let me start off by saying that Vampire Academy this is favorite book series in the whole entire world. It has everything you could possibly want/need: action, romance, adventure, and a strong heroine! I randomly picked this book up one day in the library because the cover looked cool, since then and 5 books later I have not regretted it. I just love it so much and I recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Synopsis (from Richelle Mead's website): 

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with an unbreakable bond to the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest and most dangerous vampires--the ones who never die.

The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a Dhampir; she is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making her one of them.

After two years of illicit freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. Rose will continue her Dhampir education. Lissa will go back to being Queen of the elite Moroi social scene. And both girls will resume breaking hearts.

Fear made Lissa and Rose run away from St. Vladimir's--but their world is fraught with danger both inside and out of the Academy's iron gates. Here, the cutthroat ranks of the Moroi perform unspeakable rituals and their secretive nature and love of the night creates an enigmatic world full of social complexities. Rose and Lissa must navigate through this dangerous world, confront the temptation of forbidden romance, and never once let their guard down, lest the Strigoi make Lissa one of them forever...