Eve by Anna Carey

Publisher: Harper
Date: October 2011
Series or Standalone: Series (book #1)
ISBN:0062048503
Format: Hardcover, 318 pages
Source: ARC
Cover thoughts: It is very pretty

Rating: A
First line: By the time the sun set over the fifty-foot perimeter wall, the School lawn was covered with twelfth-year students.

I was excited to get Eve because I have heard nothing but good things about it. When I was done reading it I had nothing but good things to say about it as well. It was a great read.

the night before Eve's graduation she learns what really happens when the girls graduate and the horrible fate that awaits her. Eve runs away from the school, into the wild, which she has only ever heard about. Eve meets Caleb, a boy living in the wild. Eve was always taught that she couldn't trust men, but Caleb slowly wins her trust and her love. When soldiers begin hunting Eve she must choose between her love for Caleb or her life.

One of my favorite things about the book was definitely the setting, it kind of reminded me of like a zombie movie, with everything some what destroyed, not many people around, and the people that were alive were hiding. Eve didn't know what most of the stuff was that she was finding, it was the stuff she had read about. It was kind of weird to see things that we see everyday, destroyed. I remember Eve seeing a Wal Mart and it being like a quarantined area.

I loved Caleb, he was just so cute and friendly and he risked his life to help Eve, he is a good guy. I also knew he wouldn't hurt Eve, unlike some of the other men out in the wild. And even when Eve hurt him, he still went out of his way to save her. He was selfless.

Eve is a fast paced, amazing read, that will keep you reading until you reach the last page, then want the next book because it ends on a huge cliffhanger.

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Sharks and Boys by Kristen Tracy

Publisher: Hyperion
Date: June 2011
Series or Standalone: standalone
ISBN: 142314354x
Format: Hardcover, 272 pages
Source: ARC
Cover thoughts: Goes with the story very well

Rating: B
First line: Seeing yourself on TV changes you.

The thing that really attracted me to this book was the title. Sharks terrify me but they also fascinate me. Boys, well, I like those. I was expecting a light and fun read. I soon realized that it was a story of survival and it kept me enthralled until the end.

When fifteen-year-old Eden's boyfriend Wick tells her that he needs a break from their relationship and goes to Maryland for a party Eden follows thinking that he is going to cheat on her. She soon finds herself sneaking onto a house boat and locking herself in the bathroom. Then the boys decide to take the boat out in a horrible storm and the boat sinks landing the kids floating in a yellow life boat on the ocean with no food or water. To make matters worse, hungry sharks are circling the boat. Eden and the other kids learn they must work together and trust one another to survive. If they survive?

The thing that I liked most about this book was the visual the author created. When the characters were almost dying and having to do the unimaginable I could see it inside my head. When Eden described the scene inside the lifeboat with the disgusting conditions, I wanted to go bathe. It was so real the way it was described when the characters were starving and thirsty and what they were willing to do to make it subside. I loved the visuals, even if they were horrible.

The thing I really disliked about this book was Eden. She follows Wick five-hundred-forty miles to see if he is cheating, how desperate can you get? Maybe she is in love with him, but she is fifteen. She hasn't even lived. It was annoying to see someone so needy.

Sharks and Boys will keep you reading late into the night and not knowing right up until the end in the characters will survive.

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*Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey

Publisher: Harper Teen
Date: September 20, 2011
Series or Standalone: standalone
ISBN:006199622X
Format: Hardcover 336, pages
Source: ARC
Cover thoughts: Pretty

Rating: A
First line: I wasn't thinking about falling in love the day I met Danny Greer.

The first thing that drew me to this book was the cover. I mean look at it, it's kind of creepy, but gorgeous! I also heard the book was very sad, and I hate crying, so I put it off. Then I finally read it and I was so glad! It was an amazing read!

When Wren's boyfriend Danny is killed in a car accident, she is so devastated she uses her inherited powers to bring him back to life. What Wren doesn't know is that the Danny that comes back is not the boy she knew. Wren has spent the past 4 month hiding Daniel in a neighbors garage loft and Wren becomes more distant from her friends and family. When Gabriel transfers to her school he can sense what she is hiding, what she has done. She is attracted to Gabriel who is much more alive than Danny. Wren soon realizes that she must take responsibility for what she has done and make it right, even if letting Danny go will break her heart.

Wren is pretty messed up and it is completely understandable. I feel like I didn't get to know Wren very well, but I wanted her to be happy and I was pulling for her to do the right thing.

Gabriel was interesting from the moment her entered the the story with the way he could sense what Wren could do. He was caring and he wanted to help Wren because he knew what she was going through was horrible. He wasn't judgmental, he just helped her.

Since Wren has these incredible inherited powers, I was excited to see more of them. I was hoping she would do something cool like make the door open without touching it, but sadly it didn't happen. The story really didn't focus on the powers except when talking about Danny and Wren's mother.

Cold Kiss was a heartbreaking and beautiful read that will make you cry into the final pages.

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Wating On Wednesday (8) Kiss Crush Collide

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Anyone can play along just tell us which book you are waiting to read.

Leah has the life most high school girls would kill for—popularity, glowing grades, a rich, athletic boyfriend. So why does she feel like she can’t breathe? And why can’t she stop thinking about the boy from the country club? The one who isn’t her boyfriend, the one that her mother would never, ever approve of, the one that her perfect older sisters would never, ever look at twice. The one who is always looking back at her. Irresistible attraction, smoldering glances, the bad boy and the good girl—Kiss Crush Collide has everything that a steamy forbidden romance should, and then some.

With graceful and honest writing and an electric love story, this is a book about growing into your own skin. For fans of Perfect Chemistry, Sarah Dessen, and John Green.

Release Date: December 2011
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
goodreads!

Can't wait for this one, it says it is for fans of Perfect Chemistry so this should good!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date: September 2011
Series or Standalone: series
ISBN:1442421762
Format: Hardcover, 464 pages
Source: ARC
Cover thoughts: I love it; it's dark and pretty

Rating: A
First line: The ornate script on the board twisted in the candlelight, making the letters and numbers dance in my head.

Description (from goodreads):

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

It would be strange to wake up in a hospital bed and not know how you got there. It would be scary and frustrating. Even worse not remembering what killed your friends and not knowing why you were unharmed. It made me want to find out the mystery of what happened that night and keep reading the book until I did.

The book was really suspenseful. Mara was able to put the pieces together in flashbacks. It could get a little confusing at first because she would be doing something in the present then a have a flash back from the past, it made it a little hard to distinguish which was from the past and the present. But you will pick up really quickly. It is a really important part of the book and one I enjoyed once I got used to it.

Mara's love interest in the book was so cute. Well first off he has a British accent, I have always had a thing for British accents, I don't know why, I think they sound cool. And he is cute in a way that isn't perfect, but in a messy normal way. He is also kind of mysterious, and you just know that he is keeping secrets, and then you want to know what he isn't saying.

It was kind of frustrating when Mara and Noah seemed like they needed to have a conversation about everything that was going on, but they kept putting it off. I wanted to know NOW what was going on, but it was another aspect of why I kept reading.

I am so glad this book lived up to the hype. I loved the way the book was written and the mystery behind it all. In the end I was left wanting more, it was a fantastic read!

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Three Quarters Dead by Richard Peck

Publisher: Penguin
Date: October 2010
Series or Standalone: standalone
ISBN: 0803734549
Format: Hardcover, 208 pages
Source: For Review
Cover thoughts: I love the purple on the cover, it's pretty.

Rating: C
First line: You wait forever to get to high school.

When Kerry is noticed by the three most popular girls at school she thinks her life is finally starting. She is sitting at the right table and is in on all the jokes. And she would do anything to keep it that way. But how far would she go? And when being part of the group starts to feel worse than anything else, what will she do about it?

Kerry is one of those girls that would do anything to have the popular friends. It didn't matter that they wanted her to do their dirty work and weren't very nice to her anyway. But Kerry was happy with them. I would never let my "friends" treat me that way, even if it meant being popular.

And her "friends" were cruel and arrogant, they looked down upon almost everyone, they were fake. They were spoiled little brats that expected every thing, but didn't give anything in return. They talked badly about others and did horrible things to people just to make them feel bad.

This book had a quality I did like--the unexpected. I seriously did not see the story going in the direction it did, the story was much more interesting because of it. It also made me want to keep reading. It also made me guess what was going to happen next, and I was completely wrong. At parts I was even questioning Kerry's sanity, like what she was doing and seeing and why wasn't she questioning everything that is going on. This was probably my favorite part of the book.

Overall Three Quarters Dead was a fast and surprising read!

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Trapped by Michael Northrop

Publisher: Scholastic
Date: February
Series or Standalone: Standalone
ISBN: Format: Hardcover, 240 pages
Source: For Review
Cover thoughts: Fits story line very well

Rating: B
First line: We were the last kids waiting around to get picked up from Tattawa Regional High School.

Scotty was one of the seven kids that was waiting to get picked up that day when the biggest blizzard they had ever seen started. Soon they all realize that nobody is coming. It really didn't seem so bad at first, spend the night at school and be rescued in the morning. But then the power goes out, there's no heat, the pipes freeze, the ceiling creaks, and each coming day the snow continues to pile up. They make a decision, one that is potentially deadly.

This situation that the kids are in is scary to think about, being trapped inside your school in a horrible snowstorm and freezing, and knowing that nobody knows where you are. It is horrifying. I don't know what I would do in the situation. Sit around and wait? Or go out in freezing temperatures and tons of snow and try to get help?

The question I kept asking was, where were the kids parents? Didn't they care that there kids were not home in a huge blizzard. They didn't know where they were after school, but knew that's the last place they were, wouldn't you want to go check to see if your kids were at the school? Or call the police?

None of the characters were really all that memorable to me. The plot was what made the story; it's not a cheerful one, it's depressing. When reading this book you feel like your trapped with these kids, not knowing what's going to happen to you. It's scary.

Trapped was frightening and suspenseful. It was a story I hope I never experience myself.

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OyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy

Publisher: Walker
Date: May 10, 2011
Series or Standalone: Standalone

ISBN: 0802721778

Format: Hardcover, 256 pages
Source: ARC
Cover thoughts: Plain, not very eye catching

Rating: B
First line: I love to argue.

Ellie Taylor likes to argue, so she is thrilled when she gets into the Christian Society Speech and Performance Arts summer camp. Ellie is sure that if she wins the final tournament, she will get the scholarship and get to go to her dream school! But the competition is hot--and his name is Devon. Ellie is sure she can handle him. But when she finds out that the scholarship's benefactor might be prejudice against Jews, Ellie doesn't know whether to hide her heritage or stand up for who she really is.

Ellie's Jewish background was really fun to read about. I learned about some of the foods, like matzo ball soup, and some new words, like Zeydeh which means grandfather in Yiddish. I really liked Ellie's Zeydeh, he is very opinionated and very proud of his heritage. He likes to talk, he says things that most wouldn't, like teaching Ellie at a very young age to cuss in Yiddish.

I also really enjoyed the romance between Ellie and Devon, it was cute and the competitiveness between them brought fun and an interesting edge to the story.

The scholarships benefactor's prejudice against Jews was pretty evident from the beginning by what she said and how Devon acted about it. It was sad to see someone act that way, to hate an entire group of people for what a couple of people did. The benefactor was Devon's grandma, which added another layer of tension to the story. It could have ended Devon and Ellie's relationship right away.

I didn't know what Devon would do about his grandma. Defend Ellie? Or decide it wasn't a big deal? I think he made the right choice in the end. I didn't know what Ellie would do either. Risk her scholarship and stand up for herself? Or not say anything? Ellie made the right decision in the end, it is what I would have done, just probably sooner. The book ended on a happy note.

Overall, this was a cute read that had a good message to get across: to stand up for what you believe in.

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Interview with Simone Elkeles

Simone Elkeles is the award-winning and bestselling author of edgy teen romance novels. She was a teen in the 80's and still uses words like "totally" and "grody" but resists the urge to wear bright purple eye-shadow and double wrap-around belts with mini skirts. She enjoys writing books for teens, even though she's not one anymore (but always will be at heart). She lives outside of Chicago with her family.

What do you think you would be doing if you weren’t a writer?

I have no clue. I always wanted to be a veterinarian because I love animals, but I hate the sight of blood and couldn’t make it through medical school without fainting.

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

No. I hated reading and writing as a teen. I fell in love with reading as an adult, and set out to write books that I think I would have liked to read as a teen. My goal is to inspire teens to want to read more. I don’t want teens to think books are boring or only to be read for a reading assignment.

What's your Favorite part about being a full time writer?

There are so many things I love about being a full time writer. First of all, there’s nothing better than finishing a book. I also love meeting the fans and reading my fan mail. I just can’t describe the feeling when I read fan mail from teens and adults who say that my books have changed their lives. My fans are so passionate, it’s amazing!

What was a recent book that you read that you really enjoyed?

I read an advanced copy of a book by Miranda Kenneally called CATCHING JORDAN which I really liked. It’s a teen book with a heroine who’s the quarterback for her high school football team. I love football, and really liked the book. It comes out in December, 2011.

Why did you decide to write about three brothers (Fuentes Brothers)?

I love the concept of brotherhood, and have loved reading stories about family members who’ll stick by each other through thick and thin.

What did you do to Celebrate your RITA award, and becoming a NY times bestselling author?

First I cried from happiness, then I took my family out for sushi dinner. My personal trainer would argue that eating is not a healthy way to celebrate – I think he’d rather have me run laps or do squats to celebrate my professional milestones, but that’s never going to happen. Winning the RITA and having my books hit the NY Times bestseller lists made me the happiest girl in the world!

What is one thing you want readers, especially young readers, to take from your books?

I really want them to be entertained, and if they laugh or cry that would be amazing! My goal is to pull emotion out of my readers, because that’s the biggest compliment to me as a writer.

Who is your favorite character from Chain Reaction? And why?

I’ll always love the Fuentes boys, and Luis is no exception. He’s a great hero! But if I had to pick someone else, I think it’ll have to be Nikki, who was hurt in the past and has to learn to trust again. It’s a hard thing to do, but in my opinion Nikki just might be the strongest heroine in the series.

What kind of music did you listen to while (that inspired?) writing Chain Reaction?

Ridin’ Solo by Jason Derulo, Thanks for the Memories by Fall Out Boy, Gives you Hell by The All-American Rejects, and Take a Bow by Rihanna, and Someday by Mariah Carey.

How do you see yourself in your main characters in Chain Reaction?

I was hurt by a boy when I was a teen, so I completely sympathize with Nikki. I also love the way Luis wants to fix everything by himself, without help from his brothers. I’m definitely like Luis, because I try to do things by myself without asking for help…even when I need it!

Simone's Newest book was
released on August 16, 2011



This is the Chain Reaction Trailer
to see them all check out Simone's Youtube

Thanks so much to Simone for answering all the questions. This was my first author interview and I was really nervous, and I didn't want to mess it up. I am a HUGE fan!

For a full list of Simone's books visit her WEBSITE

Thanks SO much to Hannah-Beth, she contributed half the questions, and they were great!
Thanks to Danielle for all her patience and advice.

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