Top 14 of 2014: YA

Hey everyone! Since I have read so many books this year just picking 14 was hard so I split it into two parts, YA and NA/Adult lists!

1. Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
This book was just brilliant and I couldn't help but love this 500+ paged fantasy novel filled with assassins and fae!

2 & 3. Secret & Sacrifice by Brigid Kemmerer 
Secret was my favorite in the series and Sacrifice finished up the series nicely. Nick will forever be mine ;)

4. Head of the River by Pip Harry
I just loved this book, being me & what I study I just couldn't help myself in loving it. PED's in school & college sport is awareness that is needed.

5. Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Love this series and the mystery/thriller all behind it! Teenagers tracking down serial killers!

6. This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
I never like Sci-Fi but this series is the exception, cannot help but enjoy these books.

7 & 8. Corruption & Disruption by Jessica Shirvington
This duology was just fantastic and another exception to my dislike of  Sci-Fi books. Thankfully my love for human biology was quite helpful in understanding a few of things that happened in this series.

9. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
The ending to this trilogy and was my favorite (I have a huge soft spot for Josh). Getting to have both New York and Paris in this novel just made me want to go to New York and back to Paris!

10. The One by Kiera Cass
This series is fantastic America and Maxon *sigh* I am so glad that they have added more books to the series for the next generation of royals!

11. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
I love mystery and thriller books and this book just kept me guessing!

12. On The Fence by Kasie West
This book was just cute and Charlie was just a main character that I could connect to being a tom boy and all that.

13. Cooper Bartholomew is Dead by Rebecca James
An Aussie mystery/thriller, just loved before & present chapter changes.

14. What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick
All the cuteness. Seriously the there is so much cuteness.

So what are your favorite books for the year? Let me know in the comments! Don't forget on Wednesday my Top 14 of 2014: NA/Adult will be out!

Keely xx

What you might like if you enjoyed...

Hey everyone! As you can see by the title it isn't a normal post, I thought I might give out some recommendations today! Yes this is a procrastination post from uni work... I was making a list of upcoming releases so I knew when the books I wanted would be out so I could have them!

If you liked Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins you might like:

My Life Next Door by Huntly Fitzpatrick. I have only just recently read this book but I loved it, the contemporary novel had that lightness & little darker moments like Anna had. While you don't get to travel to Paris & have Etienne you get Jase instead (he is pretty awesome). 

If you liked Amy and Rodger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson you might like:


How My Summer Went Up In Flames by Jennifer Doktorski. I read this only two weeks ago on the train home from Sydney and I absolutely loved it! I am a huge fan of road tripping books which is exactly what both are with some romance in between. The characters are just loveable and the things they do on this road trip are a lot of fun.

If you liked The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting you might like:

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This book was a cross between Criminal Minds and The Body Finder (well the last two books in the series that is) but none the less having the killer's perspective and not knowing who the killer is makes the mystery has it own craziness to it. 

If you liked The Hundred Oaks series by Miranda Kenneally you might like:

Hooked by Liz Fichera and The Academy series by Monica Seles. What all these books have in common is the sporting theme. I love sports in YA novels and especially females kicking arse in sport because the media doesn't always give the right attention to female athletes. They both also have romance that doesn't overshadow the sporting theme like so many other novels do which I loved (expect in Game On).

If you liked The Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter you might like:

Covert Assignment by Missy Marciassa. Now this is only if you don't it being a New Adult book, because that is what it is. I've read the first two books in this series and I absolutely love them (check out previous reviews)! The other book that I would recommend if you don't mind it being an adult book, stressing on the word adult because it is defiantly not YA is The Single Lady Spy by Tessa Brown. This series is awesome, I love it but it is adult! All these books have the spy theme & romance in common and it is great to see the changes in the spying world which each both from a different genre.


If you liked Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas you might like:

The Study Trilogy, The Glass Trilogy and The Healer Trilogy by Maria V. Synder. These books are all fantasy, have some female's kicking & killing people, romance and are really fantastic reads. Synder's books are addictive like Maas's and the world building is really quite amazing making these books great.

Let me know down in the comments if you enjoyed this post, so I know to do some more! Also if you have already read only of these books that I have paired together!

Keely xx

IMM #3

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. I'm only going to do this when I get a chance, exams coming up and year 12 is terrible! So this is from the last few weeks!

 

Hey guys, this is my haul since the last IMM!

WON:

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, Thankyou to Bloomsbury for the comp on twitter! I cannot wait to read it!

BOUGHT:

Second Chance Summer by Morgans Matson, After hearing nothing but great things about this book I had to go buy it! Loved all of it and it was a book that set you into tears.

The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting, I love the body finder series and this one was no expection! However it doesn't match my other covers! The others are so pretty and this one is dark, but then again it is a dark book

The Selection by Kiera Cass, This book was amazing, after seeing it in the shop I couldn't not buy it!

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, I finally have an actual copy of this book! Instead of ebook reading it, I can now finally read it in book form.

Borrowed:

The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald, my best friend insited I read this before the movie comes out, so lets see how it goes!

And that is it for this week! What did you recieve in your mailbox this week?

Keely xx

Review Time! #5

Lola and The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.(from goodreads)

About the book:
If you loved Anna and the French Kiss, you'll love Lola and the Boy Next Door, the companion to Anna. Lola Nolan is fashion designer in the making, she has two dads, an older boyfriend, no Bell twins in her life, the loyal best friend and never wears the same look twice. Lola's new years resolution was to never wear the same look twice, crazy? yes but that is what you made you connect to Lola her crazy sense of style and the good old boy next door tale. Everything in Lola's life is fine until she comes home one day to see that the Bell twins have moved back in next door. Lola and Cricket didn't leave off on a good note when they moved away two years previous.

Cricket, I'd loved him from the minute we met him! An inventor, a year older than Lola, and before he moved away Lola loved him. While Lola at the start is confused about Cricket, they soon become friends again, much to her boyfriends dislike. Her boyfriend Max is jealous of Cricket and the amount of time that they spend together, her Dads hate Max, Anna and Etienne (Yes Anna and Etienne are back!) don't like Max and much prefer Cricket and her best friend, well lets just say she hates Max too.

Max is in a band and well he isn't a very likable character. The way he is portayed is snobbish, a terrible person and doesn't make time for Lola's family or friends. Anna and Etienne are back! They work with Lola at the movie threatre (suprised?) Etienne is the same dorm as Cricket and learns about what happened before he moved away. In this book it is much more Etienne than Anna because Etienne helps Lola with her choice about whether or not Max is right for her.

With all this drama going on, Lola and Cricket seemingly pick up right where they left off before back to being friends and hanging out. With all the tension between Lola and Max, she no longer knows if he is 'the one' anymore. And I think I better stop it there before I tell you all what happens!

These books by Stephanie Perkins are why I love contempoary YA more than fantasy or paranormal. So everyone if you haven't read Anna or Lola yet, go out and buy these books! Isla and the Happily Ever After will be out in 2013 the final companion :(

Rate: 4.5/5

Review Time! #2

Anna and the French Kiss by Stepanie Perkins Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?
(from goodreads)

What can I say! I bought the e-book version of this book only because I couldn't find it anywhere (the one and only e-book i own), it was amazing! I started at 9pm and and finished 12.30am, it was just that breath-taking. While I love paranormal YA, i do love a good love story and contemporary YA.

This sotry follows Anna to Paris, the city of lights, where she is sent to boarding school for her senior year SOAP (School of America in Paris). Of course there is a boy, Etienne St. Clair who is very swoon worthy, American born, English raised and speaks fluent French. And then there is Toph the guy she likes but is all the way back in Atlanta. As Anna embarks on her journey throughout Paris and discovers and expriences new things, she starts to fall in love with her taken best friend, he longer becomes St. Clair but Etienne. But he has a girlfriend, so can Anna deal with this or will she just ruin the the friendship that they have? I will not spoil this because you just have to read it to understand how breath-taking this complex, modern love story is.

So go out and buy this book as it will take you a journey through Paris, modern day love story and follow the story of Anna and Etienne!

Rate: 5/5