Thursday, January 15, 2015

Review Time #77

Jardine by Lessa Bow
At eighteen, Ava is sure she has found her soul mate in Jardine. Convincing their friends and family that what they have is more than just a crush, however, is an entirely different story. Jardine's parents have his life mapped out with plans that don't include Ava. 

Their plans to get into med school and start their future together crumble when cricket sensation Jardine is selected to play for the Australian team and expected to spend most of the year touring internationally. Ava knows since they agreed to follow their dreams, no matter the cost, she has to let Jardine go.

Ava also discovers a new inspiration to move on with her life. But can she keep it a secret from Jardine? If he discovers the truth, everything between them could be destroyed.


Jardine is the prequel novella to Bow's new series with the first book Caught Out releasing later this year.

Ava and Jardine have both just finished high school and waiting on their results to see if they get enough marks to get into med school. However, Jardine who is and up and comer in the cricket scene is looking to be selected in the Australian test side in the test series against India, the country which his grandfather played for. 

For Ava, not having her boyfriend around all the time is a hard adjustment and when a night out goes wrong she starts keeping secrets from Jardine. All Ava wants is for Jardine to follow his dream and with her secrets weighing down on her, she is unsure whether she should be with Jardine. I really enjoyed the romance between the two and you could see that they really cared about each other. I also loved the best friend relationship between Cleo and Ava, which I look forward to reading more about in Caught Out.

Jardine is a great prequel novella that makes you wish you had book 1 straight away & to what looks like will be a fantastic series by Bow. Caught Out book 1 in the series will be out later this year. 

Thankyou very much to Lessa for providing a review copy for me to read!

Rating: 4.5/5

Keely xx

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Review Time #76


Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.
 
Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.
 
When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.
 
This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.



Theodore Finch has been asleep for six weeks. No dreaming. No anything. Back at school he finds himself on the ledge of the school's bell tower. Finch thinks about jumping, ending his life and how it should be done. Until he see's Violet Markey standing on the edge. Finch saves Violet knowing that she really does want to live but doesn't know how, and now all Violet has to do is save Finch.

A US Geography project brings them together once more, a project to wander across Indiana. But Violet hasn't been in a car since the night that she was in the car crash that killed her sister. Finch has an exuberant personality and is determined to get Violet over her fears.

'The problem with people is that forget that most of the time it's the small things that count. Everyone's so busy waiting in the Waiting Place. If we stopped to remember that there's such a thing as a Puina Tower and a view like this, we'd all be happier.'- Theodore Finch

Finch has different personalities/ looks throughout All The Bright Places we see 80's Finch, Badass Finch and All American Finch. From early on we can see that Finch has mental health problems with the way he acts and thinks but at the same time is incredibly smart. Violet isn't over her sister's death, has stopped writing, running her and her sisters website and is just existing.

As Finch and Violet start to wander throughout Indiana they start becoming friends and understanding each other. We learn about their bright places, things that make them happy whether they are places, words or book quotes when they are together or chatting on facebook. 

While the story is written in dual POV's it is really Finch's story. While Violet starts getting better and starts living instead of existing, Finch struggles to overcome everything that he is facing. The characters are so deeply constructed that you cannot help but love and feel some sort of connection to them. The secondary characters are also brilliantly written and are real high school students and not the stereotypical ones.

Overall I loved All The Bright Places and how Niven has managed to create a book which deals with mental illness in a way which shows how it affects everyone around them and that it does happen to people. Her writing is done beautifully with how she has managed to create the world and characters that draw you in, make you feel and think about the issues.  Overall All The Bright Places is a brilliant contemporary YA and I look forward to more YA novels from Niven.

Thankyou very much to Penguin Teen Australia for this ARC and the bright places inside my copy!

Rating: 5/5

Keely xx

Sunday, January 4, 2015

December Wrap Up 2014!

Hey everyone! It is 2015, how bloody fast did this year go by? It feels like only yesterday that it was the start of 2014 and now a year on, soon I will no longer be a teenager (which is kind of strange) and half way through my degree! I read a lot of books in 2014 (440 when I have written this post), I know that this year I won't read that many because I am going to have to focus more on uni (even though I said that last year) so my goal will be 200 (which is what originally 2014 was). 

I mainly got books for Christmas this year, which I am in no way complaining about! I also got a crystal glass dressing table set (family inheritance/pass down), a hockey stick, money for some shopping in Sydney to come later this month, Veronica Mars S3 & Rizzoli & Isles S4, and Taylor Swift 1989 tickets for November! 

This months posts:

Christmas books:
Some Christmas books/presents
  • Fetish, Split, Covet, Hit and Siren by Tara Moss
  • Love and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander
  • Dark Triumph and Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers
  • Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas
  • Breaking The Rules by Katie McGarry
Bought:
The super pretty new hardcover editions of Nancy Drew!

  • Nancy Drew #1-#4 by Carolyn Keene
  • Captivate by Aimee Carter
  • Percy Jackson Series #1-#5 by Rick Riordan
Review Books:
The amazing ARC of I Was Here!
  • I Was Here by Gayle Forman
  • The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E.Lockhart
  • Jardine by Lessa Bow
Thanks Simon & Schuster, Allen & Unwin and Lessa Bow for these review books!

E-Books:
  • Forever With Me by Kristen Proby
  • You Were Mine by Abbi Glines
  • That One Summer by C.J Duggan
  • Mai Tai'd Up by Alice Clayton
  • Upside Down by Lia Riley
  • Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally
  • Jaden by Tijan
  • Seaside Sunsets by Melissa Foster
So many books this month! Let me know what books you got for Christmas/this month in the comments! Have an awesome 2015 everyone!

Keely xx