THE LAST LAUGH By Mindy McGinnis

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE LAST LAUGH By Mindy McGinnisThe Last Laugh by Mindy McGinnis
Series: The Initial Insult #2
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 3/15/22
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 382
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Tress Montor murdered Felicity Turnado—but she might not have to live with the guilt for long. With an infected arm held together by duct tape, the panther who clawed her open on the loose, and the whole town on the hunt for the lost homecoming queen, the odds are stacked against Tress. As her mind slides deeper into delirium, Tress is haunted by the growing sound of Felicity’s heartbeat pulsing from the “best friend” charm around her fevered neck.

Ribbit Usher has been a punchline his whole life—from his nickname to his latest turn as the unwitting star of a humiliating viral video. In the past he’s willingly played the fool, but now it’s time to fulfill his destiny. That means saving the girl, so that Felicity can take her place at his side and Ribbit can exact revenge on all who have done him wrong—which includes his cousin, Tress. Ribbit is held by a pact he made with his mother long ago, a pact that must be delivered upon in four days.

With time ticking down and an enemy she considers a friend lurking in the shadows, Tress’s grip on reality is failing. Can she keep both mind and body together long enough to finally find out what happened to her parents?

The Last Laugh picks up right where the Initial Insult left off. Tress just finished leaving Felicity behind a brick wall and walked away leaving her to die. But now Tress is starting to feel guilty but if the guilt doesn’t eat away at her, the infection in her arm will. The only thing Tress cares about before the infection takes her is finding out what happened to her parents. Ribbit Usher Tress’s cousin has been in a humiliating video that gives him his 15 minutes of fame but he’s tired of being the butt of everyones jokes. Ribbit plans on finding Felicity and having her be his and then exacting on everyone who has done him wrong including Tress.

In the Last Laugh we get the POVs of Tress, Ribbit, and Rue (the orangutan). I liked Tress’s POV the most the girl is on a mission and some how not dead even with the infection in her arm giving her fevers and hallucinations. Ribbit on the other hand is a momma’s boy he’ll do anything to please her and he plans on doing exactly that in four days. Honestly Ribbit is messed up in the head he may not show it often but the kid is off his rocker. Rue’s POV I feel like was unnecessary it just felt like nonsense.

I enjoyed this book more than the first book mainly because there’s a lot more at stake for the characters. Tress is doing a little digging on what happened to her parents and she learns more than she bargained for and there’s still the panther running around town that she has to take care of. Ribbit plans on doing something he should have done years ago. This book was just crazy but it worked and it added a level of intensity. I didn’t like Tress in the first book but in this one I was definitely rooting for her.

The Last Laugh was hard to put down and it delivered. I didn’t know what to expect from this sequel but it was amazing! Check out this duology if you’re into darker YA reads!

THE DEAD QUEENS CLUB By Hannah Capin

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE DEAD QUEENS CLUB By Hannah CapinThe Dead Queens Club by Hannah Capin
Published by Inkyard Press on 1/29/19
Genres: Contemporary, Retellings, Young Adult
Pages: 464
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

You’d think being the new girl in a tiny town would equal one very boring senior year. But if you’re me—Annie Marck, alias Cleves—and you accidentally transform into teenage royalty by entering Lancaster High on the arm of the king himself? Life becomes the exact opposite of boring.

Henry has it all: he’s the jock, the genius and the brooding bad boy all in one. Which sort of explains why he’s on his sixth girlfriend in two years.

What it doesn’t explain is why two of them—two of us—are dead.

My best friend thinks it’s Henry’s fault, which is obviously ridiculous. My nemesis says we shouldn’t talk about it, which is straight-up sketchy. But as the resident nosy new girl, I’m determined to find out what really happened to Lancaster’s dead queens…ideally before history repeats itself.


Short and Sweet

Everyone knows about the infamous King Henry VII and his six wives, but in this retelling we meet Annie aka Cleves girlfriend number four and Henry’s best friend. But things start to get suspicious when Henry is on his sixth girlfriend in six months and two of his exes are dead. Cleves’ best friend thinks Henry is behind it all and now all they have to do is prove it before his sixth girlfriend ends up dead too.

Characters

Annie (Cleves): Our main character and narrator. Cleves who got her nickname because she’s from Cleveland moves to Lancaster where she’s best friends with Henry which by association makes her popular. Cleves is pretty funny and sarcastic she knows what she wants and she wants the editor in chef position for the school paper. One thing Cleves doesn’t like is feeling like she’s being censored. One thing about Cleves is that she’s very indecisive and doesn’t know whether she should take Henry’s side or Parker’s.

Henry: Henry is a popular football player but he’s also a serial dater and for some reason he’s already on girlfriend number six in six months which he doesn’t find strange at all. Like the actually Henry VII I found this Henry very accurate considering that this book takes place during modern times. Henry was interesting he liked to pull pranks on his girlfriends and that was mainly because he thought that they were up to something. Henry is also dealing with a lot he has a leg injury which is holding him back and he feels like he’s not good enough in his fathers eyes.

Parker: Parker is one of Cleves’ best friends. She’s organized practical and hmm a little vengeful when she feels like someone is messing with her friends, she also has a lot of bite to her and she can be pretty mean. I actually liked Parkers character she isn’t what you’d expect she’s dealt with a lot after she lost her boyfriend George in the explosion (more on that later), now Parkers main goal is to keep those closest around her safe and while doing that she can come off as paranoid.

Romance

~ I have kindly listed each girlfriend in their respective order of 1-6

Henry and Lina: Lina is Henry’s first girlfriend and she is described as an overachiever, who also that she shows grace when put in pressure situations. When Henry first starts talking about Lina all he ever says is that she’s great and the most amazing person ever but eventually he ends up leaving her for Anna.

Henry and Anna: Anna is described as an overly ambitious Francophile and people weren’t the biggest fan of her because they thought she stole Henry away from Lina, and this was also a big thing in the book because people were either team Lina or team Anna. The big thing that happened in this relationship occurred at prom where there was an explosion that killed Anna and her brother George. Anna is blamed for this explosion and people consider her a murderer and say that her motive for causing the explosion was to cover up that she may have been cheating on Henry.

Henry and Jane: This one was an interesting relationship mainly because whenever Cleves talks about Jane all she can say is that Jane was boring and all she did was volunteer at the hospital but I don’t know how boring she could have been because Henry seemed to like her a lot.

Henry and Cleves: This is probably the shortest relationship of them all and because of that these two like to act like it never even happened. Henry and Cleves met at a summer camp and hit it off and became best friends and kept in touch so when she moved closer to him they were both happy about it. These two only start dating because someone told Henry he should ask Cleves out because they seemed like they would work, and even though they broke up they continued being best friends, and these two broke up because Henry started to like Katie.

Henry and Katie: Katie was a cheerleader Henry was a football player this was a match made in popular kid heaven. I liked Katie she was sweet and she’s dealt with a lot in the past and has a reputation for sleeping around. Katie was trying to work past her issues and I liked how she always tried to stay positive. Sadly, like her cousin Anna, Katie met her demise.

Henry and Cat: Cat is the editor in chief of the school paper and the Vice President of the debate club. This relationship was strange mainly because it seemed like Henry wouldn’t date someone like Cat which is exactly way she went for him, she knew he liked dating different kinds of girls. Cat was smart and at first I didn’t like her but she grew on me. Honestly she’s just really really really smart which you’ll notice when you read the book.

Quotes

~ “Cheating sets him off because it’s an insult and a betrayal. As long as I don’t cheat, I’m safe.”

My Thoughts

~ I’m going to be honest, the first half of this book was hard to get through. I don’t know if it was because of it going to the past and then back to the present but it just wasn’t good. And the plot doesn’t really take effect until the second half of the book anyway when Parker tells Cleves about her thoughts on Henry, the first half was mainly just about girlfriends 1-4 and Henry’s history with them.

~ I liked the girl power thing going on in this book I thought it was amazing how they all banded together because they realized no one else could get hurt.

~ What I loved the most was that the girlfriends and some of the things that happened to them corresponds to their historical counterparts. There were a lot of Easter eggs in this book and it was great.

~ I liked the mystery aspect of the book when we have to question if Anna and Katie’s deaths were accidents or if something sinister actually happened. So to figure this out and put up theories Cleves makes a blog called the Dead Queens Club.

~ For a retelling this book was very well written each character was their own person and it made me feel for each of them. Each character is so vivid and add something to the story.

~ The best part was the ending it was dramatic and tense but it was amazing and I loved it and I thought it ended perfectly.

Overall

I thought this book was great it was a good retelling and I liked how the history was weaved throughout. Capin did a great job giving each character their own personality and making each of them entertaining and captivating. The only thing that did bother me like I mentioned before was the first half of the book which I did find somewhat boring but after that everything was smooth sailing and I couldn’t put the book down. Definitely read this book if you like historical retellings with a sassy and snarky main character.

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DECEMBER WRAP UP 2017

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 This post is super late so I’ll keep it short. Hope everyone had a great holiday season. Here’s my list:

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Turtles all the way down

Shadow Girl by Liana Liu

Shadow Girl

Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West

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Everless by Sara Holland

Everless

LOVE, LIFE, AND THE LIST By Kasie West

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

LOVE, LIFE, AND THE LIST By Kasie WestLove, Life, and the List by Kasie West
Published by HarperTeen on 12/26/17
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Seventeen-year-old Abby Turner’s summer isn’t going the way she’d planned. She has a not-so-secret but definitely unrequited crush on her best friend, Cooper. She hasn’t been able to manage her mother’s growing issues with anxiety. And now she’s been rejected from an art show because her work “has no heart.” So when she gets another opportunity to show her paintings, Abby isn’t going to take any chances.

Which is where the list comes in.

Abby gives herself one month to do ten things, ranging from face a fear (#3) to learn a stranger’s story (#5) to fall in love (#8). She knows that if she can complete the list, she’ll become the kind of artist she’s always dreamed of being.

But as the deadline approaches, Abby realizes that getting through the list isn’t as straightforward as it seems . . . and that maybe—just maybe—she can’t change her art if she isn’t first willing to change herself.


Short and Sweet

Abby Turner is an artist and her goal is to make it into an art program. The only way Abby can do this is by getting her pieces into an art show and thats where the list comes in. Abby believes that the list will help her become a better artist and put more emotion into her work. With the help of her best friend Cooper who she also has a crush on, Abby is determined to finish the list, become a better artist, and maybe get Cooper to like her back.

Characters

Abby: Our main character. I loved Abby, she was determined to get what she wanted and she worked hard to get it. She deals with a lot in her home life, her father is in the military and is away and her mom has anxiety which seems to be getting worse. Abby was sweet and sarcastic very sarcastic but I liked it she was an enjoyable character to follow.

Cooper: Abby’s best friend and crush. Abby and Cooper do almost everything together and I loved their friendship they told each other almost everything, I also loved how he was so willing to help Abby with her list. Cooper was laid back and fearless and a good friend.

Lacey: Lacey is a friend that Abby makes over the summer and I loved Lacey too! She and Abby haven’t known each other long but it was like she was meant to be in Abby’s life. Lacey is an actress and Abby is an artist so they both understood each other on that level of having a passion for something.

Romance

Abby and Elliot: So Abby and Elliot have met before but didn’t really start hanging out until this summer when they meet at a restaurant and then again at a grocery store. Both of them are artist and liked talking to each other about their art. I thought they were cute but they were better off as friends.

Cooper and Iris: Iris is a girl that Cooper meets at the beach. Iris is one of those girls that seems nice when Cooper is around but would change whenever she was left with Abby. We don’t really see many interactions with Cooper and Iris but we do know that they go on a couple of dates.

Abby and Cooper: This relationship is interesting. We learn that Abby has professed her love for Cooper but he didn’t feel the same way so she just played it off as if she was joking. And now this summer their quartet becomes a duo when two of their friends leave on vacation. Now its just Abby and Cooper and Abby still has feelings for him but it still doesn’t seem like he feels the same way. I really liked the two of them together especially after seeing how close they were as friends.

My Thoughts

~ Here’s my favorite thing about the book… the list! There were ten things on the list and all of these things were supposed to help Abby become a better artist by helping her add depth and emotion to her work. Abby learned a stranger’s story, tried five new things, and faced a fear, I can’t tell you if she fell in love or not you’ll just have to read the book.

~ I also love how Abby went out of her comfort zone when it came to the list. She picked one thing she admired about each person in her life and tried to incorporate it into the list.

~ Abby’s family was amazing too. They were supportive of her and believed that she could get into the art show. Abby’s grandpa is just as sarcastic as her which was great. We also learn more about Abby’s mom and her anxiety and how it got to the point its at now. Abby’s dad is also in the book through emails and phone calls.

Overall

This book was cute and enjoyable! It made me smile and laugh and it didn’t take long to read. I’ve loved each of the books by Kasie West that I’ve read and this one is now different. West knows how to write with emotion and it makes the book and characters so real. I love this book and recommend it for anyone who loves contemporaries, art, and maybe your best friend!

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AUGUST TBR 2016

WonderlandThoughts

August is here! I’m excited for more reading lol. For this month I plan on reading more kindle books. I think I can fit in a lot of books especially by reading kindle books. I start school again soon and working but I’m sure I can manage! Here’s my list! (:

Heartblaze 2: Vampire Rising by Shay Roberts

Vampire Rising

The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson

The Beauty of Darkness

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Three Dark Crowns

The Cabin by Natasha Preston

The Cabin

One Was Lost by Natalie D. Richards

One Was Lost

Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig

Last Seen Leaving

Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter

Ghostly Echoes