The Romance Bookie

Hey Everyone! I finished The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon this morning! From Goodreads : Natasha: I'm a girl who believes in science and facts.  Not fate.  Not destiny.  Or dreams that will never come true.  I'm definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him.  Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica.  Falling in love with him won't be my story. Daniel: I've always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents' high expectations.  Never the poet.  Or the dreamer.  But when I see her, I forget about all that.  Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store--- for both of us. The Universe:  Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment.  A million futures lie before us.  Which one will come true? My Thoughts: Nicola Yoon h...

So I did it! I finished my first series in YEARS!! I have completed the To All the Boys I've Loved Before  Trilogy!  I am pretty dang proud of myself right now, because I don't remember the last series I finished completely!  I mean I have finished plenty of series, but not in recent years! So here is my review of the final book in the To All the Boys I've Loved Before Trilogy, Always and Forever, Lara Jean  by Jenny Han. From Goodreads: Lara Jean is having the best senior year. And there's still so much to look forward to; a class trip to New York City, prom with her boyfriend Peter, Beach Week after graduation, and her dad's wedding to Ms. Rothschild.  Then she'll be off to college with Peter, at a school close enough for her to come home and bake chocolate chip cookies on the weekends.   Life couldn't be more perfect! At least, that's what Lara Jean thinks... until she gets some unexpected news. Now the girl who dreads c...

Hey! Wow, two books finished in two days!  It's amazing what you can do when you have no internet to distract you!  Seriously! I honestly, thought I was just going to get this one started, and finishing it after YA'll West! From Goodreads: It's 2002, a year after 9/11.  It's an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who's tired of being stereotyped. Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be.  She's tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments --even the physical violence -- she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day.  So she's built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her.  Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother. But then she meets Ocean James.  He's the first person in forever who really seems to want to ge...

Hey Everyone! Finished listening to Miranda Kenneally's Coming Up for Air  during my drives to work!  I have had this book sitting on my night stand since last summer when it was released, but my head has just not been able to get into reading a book, so I figured out the next best thing...audiobooks! From Goodreads : All of Maggie's focus and free time is spent swimming.  She's not only striving to earn scholarships - she's training to qualify for the Olympics.  It helps that her best friend, Levi, is also on the team and that he cheers her on, but he's already earned his Olympic tryout, so sometimes his presence creates more pressure.  If that wasn't stressful enough, life become even more complicated once Maggie goes on a college visit.  There, she realizes how much of the typical high-school experience she's missed out on by being in the pool.  Not one to shy away from a challenge, Maggie decides to try to squeeze the most out of he...

Hey Everyone! Back in May I finished the book Everything, Everything  by Nicola Yoon .  It was the first book to get me out of my reading rut, at least for a little while, this year.  It was hard to put down, it had a great story line, characters, and was very well written to me.  So it's been a crazy few months (when isn't right?!), and I was never able to catch the movie in theaters.  I tried, I really did, but it just never seemed to work out.  But anyway, on Tuesday the movie version of Everything, Everything  hit Redbox, so I reserved my copy, and picked it up after work! My review of Everything, Everything , the movie: Image is from IMDb.com I really liked the cast.  Now to be fair, I already had seen the cast, before reading the book, so I was imagining them as the characters already as I read.  Amandla Stenberg, who you may remember as Rue in the first Hunger Games movie, played a really good Madeline.  She was very c...

Hello Everyone! I have some news... I AM FINISHED WITH MY UNDERGRAD!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is about time, right??  I finished all my assignments last Monday, received my honors on Saturday, and am graduating this coming Saturday!  It's been such a long process...eight years to be exact.  Six years of community college, I took classes every Fall and Spring semester of those six years.  And then two years of university.  70 hours of student teaching last semester, 196 hours this semester, working, school at night and homework whenever there was some time...but I did it guys. I am sitting here right now, writing this post, and waiting for my cap design to dry, so I can finish decorating my Mortarboard for Saturday.  It all feels so surreal.  SOOO surreal.  The hardest part is definitely knowing that my dad will be missing it.  I tear up every time I think about it.  I miss him so so much, it hurts.  I just hope more than anything, he ...

Hello Everyone, Because of my crazy schedule, switching between student teaching, school, and work, I have not had time to pick up a book in months.  I am counting down to when I get start again!  It is looking like towards the end of May, but then it also depends on my sanity at this point, because it is looking a little iffy at this point.  All I know, that this summer better involve some fun and relaxing time!  I am tired! The only "fun" thing I have been able to do (and that depends on your definition of "fun"), is listen to audiobooks as I commute from home to student teaching, student teaching to work, and then at night make the hour long drive to school.  It has been a nice change, because to be honest as much as I had been a music lover before everything happened in my life, I have had a hard time listening to music since my dad passed away.  So audiobooks have been a nice change! Anyway, I have been trying to read Winter  since Christmas...

Hello Everyone! I've got another review for y'all! I was fortunate enough to get my hands on an advanced copy of Run  by Kody Keplinger when I went to YALL West in May, and have been reading it slowly over the past couple of months.  It was really good, but it was a book I needed to be in the mind set to read, so that's why it took me a while.  Plus a lot of things have been going on in my life lately, it's been both an exciting and yet very sad year so far. But anyway, finally got it done!  So here's my review of Run by Kody Keplinger! Note:  This is an ARC review! From Goodreads : Bo Dickinson is a girl with a wild reputation, a deadbeat dad, and a mama who's not exactly sober most of the time.  Everyone in town knows the Dickinsons are a bad lot, but Bo doesn't care what anyone thinks. Agnes Atwood has never gone on a date, never even stayed out past ten, and never broken any of her parents' overbearing rules.  Rules that are ...

Hey Everyone! While my life was pretty crazy last year, it is nothing compared to this year.  Taking five classes in a university, while working two jobs is no joke!! And while yes, I'm still technically on hiatus, that doesn't mean I can't post a review here and there, when I actually do find the chance to read, right?? Well, last week I had been so fed up with homework, and work, that I literally just went into the office in our house, where my single book shelf is (the majority of my books are in storage, until my boyfriend and I can get a bigger place to live), and picked up a book I've been meaning to read for years now.  In fact, since high school!  I've seen this book many many time, both in libraries and book stores, but just never have gotten around to picking it up...why? I don't know!  But it's finally happened, and I have joined the Georgia Nicolson band wagon! A little late? you may be thinking? ;), the book did get released in the year ...

Hey Everyone!!! Finally finished another book this summer! It's been a bit of a crazy summer, been working extra hours, and just not getting the free time I've needed to recuperate before school and my other jobs starts in less than two weeks.  I'm freaking out a bit, but I just told myself today, "You are going to lie in bed, and finish reading this book you've been reading for over a month now!" Anyway, I did it!! I FINALLY finished Katie McGarry's latest novel, in a new series, Nowhere But Here ! This is the first book in the Thunder Road Series, and I received an ARC at the Pasadena Loves YA Festival back in June, thanks to the amazing HARLEQUIN!!! So THANK YOU Harlequin for giving out those amazing ARCs at the festival!!! From Goodreads : An unforgettable new series from acclaimed author Katie McGarry about taking risks, opening your heart and ending up in a place you never imagined possible. Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life t...

Hey Everyone!! I'm back for another review!!! I'm so excited to share this one with you, because it is of a book that I received only last Friday and devoured over this past weekend! Miranda Kenneally's Jesse's Girl ! From Goodreads: Everyone at Hundred Oaks High knows that career mentoring day is a joke.  So when Maya Henry said she wanted to be a rock star, she never imagined she's get to shadow *the* Jesse Scott, Nashville's teen idol.. But spending the day with Jesse is far from a dream come true.  He's as gorgeous as his music, but seeing all that he's accomplished is just a reminder of everything Maya's lost: her trust, her boyfriend, their band, and any chance to play the music she craves.  Not to mention that Jesse's pushy and opinionated.  He made it on his own, and he thinks Maya's playing back up to other people's dreams.  Does she have what it takes to follow her heart --- and go solo? My Thoughts: I abs...

Hey Everyone! I've got a review of Mortal Heart  by Robin LaFevers, the third book in the His Fair Assassin Series ! From Goodreads: Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death.  But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seecress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent.  Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own. She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin.  Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn't mean she has... Erin's Thoughts: I'll be honest, when I first read Grave Mercy  and heard "assassin nuns", I was like, What? The idea didn't really appeal to me and it actually sounded pretty funny to me.  Even as I read it, I didn't like it that  much.  The writing and everything w...

Hello! As you may remember, The Winner's Curse  was one of my most anticipated reads of the year! I read The Winner's Curse  last year after I was immediately drawn in by the beautiful cover and the description of the book!  They are such good books and I would recommend them to anyone! All right! Here's my review! From Goodreads : Book two of the dazzling Winner's Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love. The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria's crown prince means one celebration after another.  But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making.  As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement...if she could only trust him.  Yet can she even trust herself? For --unknown to Arin -- Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret. As Arin enlists dangerous allies ...

Hey Everyone!! I am very excited to welcome Jessica Brody for an interview today in honor of 2015 Ontario Teen Book Festival!! From Goodreads The Romance Bookie: Would you tell us a bit about your new book, the final book in the Unremembered Trilogy,   Unchanged ? Jessica Brody: Well, there's only so much I can tell you without spoiling all the great twists in books 1 & 2.  But I will say that this final installment has the most sci-fi, the largest cast, the most kissing scenes, the most world-building and the most explosions. TRB: Was it difficult coming up with an ending for the entire series that you were completely satisfied with? JB:  Absolutely! And actually, my editor and I disagreed about what the ending should be.  I had to fight REALLY hard for this ending.  So I hope you love it! If not, don't tell my editor ;). TRB:  What has been the most difficult thing to get used to since becoming a published writer? And the most fun...

Yay!! Here's a review of  Exquisite Captive , the first book in the Dark Caravan Cycle! From Goodreads: Forced to obey her master. Compelled to help her enemy. Determined to free herself.  Nalia is a jinni of tremendous ancient power, the only survivor of a coup that killed nearly everyone she loved. Stuffed into a bottle and sold by a slave trader, she’s now in hiding on the dark caravan, the lucrative jinni slave trade between Arjinna and Earth, where jinn are forced to grant wishes and obey their human masters’ every command. She’d give almost anything to be free of the golden shackles that bind her to Malek, her handsome, cruel master, and his lavish Hollywood lifestyle. Enter Raif, the enigmatic leader of Arjinna’s revolution and Nalia’s sworn enemy. He promises to free Nalia from her master so that she can return to her ravaged homeland and free her imprisoned brother—all for an unbearably high price. Nalia’s not sure she can trust him, but Raif’s her only h...

Hey Everyone!! So I'm back!!! Just flew back in last night from my ten day Florida vacation!! We had an amazing time!!!  I'm definitely planning on posting pictures of our awesomeness in Disney World and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in the next couple of days, so if you're interested keep your eyes open for that! :) Anyway, last night on the airplane, I FINALLY got to watch the movie version of Gayle Forman's Best Selling novel If I Stay , featuring Chloe Grace Moretz (as Mia) and Jamie Blackley (as Adam). I've been holding out on watching If I Stay , because well, I just haven't been in the mood to cry.   If I Stay  is one of the saddest, hardest books I've ever read.  The story is so powerful and good, but at the same time extremely depressing. Now before I tell you what I thought about the movie, here's a little description: From  IMDb : Life changes in an instant for young Mia Hall after a car accident puts her in a coma. ...