Book Thoughts: Fangirl

Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell

I don't even know where to start talking about this book. I loved it.

I've never really gotten into fanfiction, reading or writing; it's just not my cup of tea. And I don't know what it's like to have a sister -- except, well, now I do, because of Cath. And I've never had a random roommate, because I lived with a high school friend my freshman year. But I could feel everything in this book.

The descriptions of Cath's anxiety are just so spot-on. (I actually stored pictures of some of the pages on my phone just so I would have the quotes with me.) Her college is so, so different from mine, but Cath's feelings in a new situation are incredibly relatable anyway.

Plus. Okay. Characters. Love them. They're all so multifaceted (except maybe Courtney, but we don't see her much) -- all of them are flawed, but they all have lovable characteristics, too. Even Simon and Baz, who are fictional characters in a fictional story, felt real. I wanna read the Simon Snow series now! It was super cool getting to see snippets of both the actual stories and Cath's fanfic.

I just. I can't put into words how much I loved this book. I was so sad when it ended because I wasn't ready to leave the characters behind, even though the story had concluded. I could ramble about this forever but I don't want to spoil anything, but if you've read it -- contact me on twitter or tumblr or facebook, or email me, because I would LOVE to talk more about it.

Book Thoughts: Crazy

Title: Crazy
Author: Han Nolan
*Imported from tumblr*

This book took me a while to get into at first because the narrative style is so different — a lot of Jason’s thoughts and memories are narrated by these imaginary friends he has made up to keep him company, and that was really weird for me to adjust to. But once I got into it, I actually thought it was really cool and added a lot to the story, because you really get to see things the way Jason sees them.

Jason’s mom has died, his dad is losing his mind, and Jason is struggling to care for both himself and his crazy father. When he gets noticed at school, he gets sent to a lunchtime counseling group with the school psychologist, and despite his resistance, he makes friends. Making friends won’t stop the tidal wave of bad news about to crash down on Jason — but it just might help him survive.

I thought this was a beautiful story. Heartbreaking, absolutely, but beautiful. A starkly honest look at mental illness and its impact, and… just wow. I absolutely recommend it. 

Book Thoughts: Forgotten

Title: Forgotten
Author: Cat Patrick
*Imported from tumblr.*

London’s memory works backwards: every night when her memory resets, she remembers nothing of her past. Instead, she remembers the future — things that haven’t happened yet. But when she keeps meeting a boy she can’t remember meeting (in the future) and unearths a shocking memory of something from the past, London’s already complicated life gets a lot more interesting.

I was expecting something paranormal from the description, but aside from London remembering the future, there’s nothing weird about Forgotten. It’s a powerfully honest story of love, loss, psychological trauma, and friendship. It’s beautifully written (and the romance is perfect), and I am immensely glad I read it. If you're thrown by the seemingly paranormal/unnatural premise, I encourage you to read it anyway. It is a beautiful story about a girl falling in love, a family in grief, and a friendship working to survive a strugge. Read it!

Book Thoughts: Rage

Title: Rage
Author: Jackie Morse Kessler
Series: Riders of the Apocalypse #2

I liked this one so much more than the first book in the series. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the first book, but I liked this one so much more. The characters seemed to have a whole new depth and Missy's internal struggle with War was just wow.

There were moments where I had to wonder whether high school students are really so cruel to each other -- peeing on her gym bag, really? My high school experience was vastly different and while there was bullying, it was much more subtle. Still, exaggerated situations aside, I felt like Missy's struggle was very real and portrayed beautifully. Ms. Kessler has a way with words.

Melissa Miller is such a great character. I loved that she was so involved with the soccer team; so many times, self-injurers in teen fiction are portrayed as having nothing at all except cutting, and Missy's not like that. She is more than a cutter, she's a person who cuts. And placing that in the fantastical context of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse made it that much easier to understand.

You don't have to read Hunger before this one (although that's the order they were written in); this one stands perfectly well on its own. But once you read this one, you'll want to read more of Ms. Kessler's writing. And if you weren't a fan of Hunger, read this one anyway. So good!

Book Thoughts: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Series: Mara Dyer #1

I adore this book. It is my favorite of the books that I read over the summer, and that is not a title I bestow lightly.

The plot was fascinating. There was some sort of paranormal element, something seriously spooky going on, and Mara doesn't know what it is or why she can't remember the night her best friends died. Her family moves to get away from the trauma, but the PTSD -- because paranormal's not real, right? -- follows. And at her new school, there's Noah. Totally hot, and someone Mara's not sure she can be with.

I loved Mara as a character, and Noah and Daniel and the rest, but that wasn't the main reason I really loved the novel. I was caught up in the story -- I had to know what came next, what was going on. I loved the way the PTSD was handled: realistically. Mara feels like a much more real teenager than many paranormal novel heroines. She sees a psychiatrist (her attitude toward that was very realistic), is wary of her medication (which, by the way, is one that they would actually prescribe in a PTSD situation), falls for a new guy who she's a little wary of, tries to move on with her life but can't quite.

She doesn't accept that something paranormal is happening without question. She challenges it, tries hard to fit it to the reality she's always known. I felt like the whole situation was handled really well. And I liked that she tried to prioritize her real life over the paranormal rather than the other way around.

But yeah mostly I just loved the story and the characters and I am desperately waiting for the sequel. (October 23. Soon. I can make it that long... probably...) At any rate, I love this book and you should read it.

Book Thoughts: Every You, Every Me

Title: Every You, Every Me
Author: David Levithan

I read this one around New Years, so it's been several months, and the impression that it has on me is still incredible. I'm a bit hazy on the details, but I remember it being emotionally very intense.

Evan's going crazy missing his best friend Ariel. And he might actually be going crazy: he keeps finding photographs aimed at him. The photos are actually in the book, which is really cool -- it's neat being able to see what it is that Evan's seeing.

Stylistically, David Levithan has created an interesting novel. Not just with the pictures, but with the text. Evan strikes through the words he changes his mind about saying, which gives readers an unusual (and powerful) view of what's actually going on in Evan's head versus what he's trying to make himself believe.

The other thing that really struck me about EYEM was the emotion. Evan's struggling with his own emotional and social difficulties, but he's also pressuring himself to manage Ariel's increasingly unstable tendencies. It was really intense seeing the way his emotions related to Ariel's. There's really no other way that I can describe it: emotionally intense. I had to put it down a couple of times just to come back to myself before I got lost in it entirely.

But wow, guys. Definitely read this one if you get the chance.

Book Thoughts: Yes Man

Title: Yes Man
Author: Danny Wallace

I borrowed this book from my boyfriend a bit skeptically. I usually stick to YA and fiction. This is an adult book and a memoir.

I am glad that I decided to read it anyway.

Essentially, Danny decides to defeat his lethargy and depression by going a whole year saying only yes to every invitation, request, and opportunity. So, of course, he gets up to all sorts of wild and crazy shenanigans.

Yes Man is snarky and British and hilarious (seriously, the number of times I was in hysterics reading it is too high to count) and I absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a fun read. And not only is it fantastic, it's also true!

Read read read. What are you waiting for? (But don't see the movie. Every single person I've talked to said it was awful. The book is where it's at.)

Book Thoughts: 34 Pieces of You

Title: 34 Pieces of You
Author: Carmen Rodrigues

I just read this one as an e-book on PulseIT, and wow.

I'm honestly not sure what I think of this book. Chronologically, it was a little hard to follow with the nonlinear storytelling; some of the actual events were a little hard to follow too because I kept getting the characters' voices mixed up and forgetting whether it was Jessie, Sarah, or Jake narrating. I would have liked more backstory about the characters, too.

BUT. But. Emotionally it was a pretty powerful read, a really interesting way to handle the death of a teenager and a loved one. I wish we'd been able to see things from Ellie's perspective, but maybe the point was that none of them could see things from Ellie's perspective.

I had a hard time putting this one down - it drew me in and made me want to keep reading. Fascinating take on the different characters' emotions. I just wish there had been a little more - it ended too soon. The issues in this book are very real and definitely played with my emotions. I recommend it for fans of Thirteen Reasons Why and Ellen Hopkins.

Book Thoughts: Rage

Title: Hunger
Author: Jackie Morse Kessler
Series: Riders of the Apocalypse #1

This review is a hard one for me to write. I had a lot of problems with this book, but at the same time I thought it had a really interesting premise and I loved Jackie Morse Kessler's writing style. The idea behind the story is simple enough: Lisa is anorexic, depressed, and one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Three pills into her suicide attempt, Death shows up at her front door and hands her the role of Famine. Lisa doesn't know how to handle the new job, especially not with all the pressure from her family and her boyfriend and her ex-best friend, but maybe, just maybe, it will teach her some important lessons.

My main objection to Hunger was at the very beginning. When Death shows up to hand her the Scales that are the symbol of the office of Famine, Lisa is three pills into a suicide attempt. He says a couple of weird sentences, hands her some scales, and leaves. Lisa decides that she is hallucinating (and fat), but says "At least I'm not depressed anymore." Not right-this-second suicidal I can understand. To be so torn up as to be in the middle of a suicide attempt and then decide after a brief interruption that she's not at all depressed anymore? It didn't seem realistic. At all.

My other problem was the characterization of Lisa and her friends. All we really know about Lisa is that she's anorexic. Everything we see about her character is directly related to anorexia. We don't know who she is as a person, we know who she is as an anorexic girl. By the end, we do see a few of her character traits, but it's still mostly about her anorexia. Tammy is just the bulimic friend. I'm still not quite sure how I feel about the way that subject was handled, but all we know about Tammy is that she's bulimic. The relationships with James and Suzanne are more interesting, but we don't know really anything about them, either.

That aside, I loved Jackie Morse Kessler's writing style, and the concept was really cool. Death was my favorite character by far, and it was interesting to see the way Lisa's role as Famine affected her personal life and vice versa. Despite my initial problems with the characters, I did enjoy the book and will most likely read the second one when it comes out. Hunger is not a book that I'm going to press into someone's hands and say "Read this!" but I do think it makes a good read.

Book Thoughts: Tangled

Title: Tangled
Author: Carolyn Mackler

At first, I wasn't sure I liked Tangled. I thought it was going to be just another chick lit where the dorky-girl-who-has-no-life either ends up with some hot guy who turns out to have a sweet personality or discovers that being hot and popular is not all it's cracked up to be. But I kept reading, because I kind of liked the characters, and...wow. It turned out to be really good.

TANGLED is the story of four teens - Jena, her mom's friend's daughter Skye, a hotshot jock named Dakota, and his dorky younger brother Owen - who for various reasons have to spend a week at a resort called Paradise. Jena meets(/falls for) Dakota and finds a suicide note by a hot tub, and then things are in motion that are beyond their control. There are four sections in the book, each told from a different character's point of view and surrounding that character's individual story, but there's definitely crossover between them. The book is about how their lives get tangled together and how it changes all of them. That sounds sappy or dorky or something, I know, but it's not. It was sooo good. Skye's and Owen's sections were probably my favorites because I could relate to them better, but they were all great.

There is some strong language and some sexual content, especially in the first half, but it's written in so that on the whole it adds to the book rather than taking away from it. I almost put it down because of some of that content, but I am reeeally glad that I kept reading. Seriously. Sweet story, great characters, and just overwhelmingly real. Probably more of a girl book than a guy book, although guys would probably enjoy Dakota's and Owen's sections just as much; you should read it if you get the chance. :)