BLACKLIST By Alyson Noel

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

BLACKLIST By Alyson NoelBlacklist by Alyson Noel
Series: Beautiful Idols #2
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 4/4/17
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Young Adult
Pages: 448
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Wannabe reporter LAYLA, aspiring actress ASTER, and fledgling musician TOMMY joined the Unrivaled nightclub competition for the same reason—they knew winning it would change their lives. They just never imagined that somewhere along the way they’d become entangled in the disappearance of mega starlet MADISON BROOKS.

Now each of them is smack in the center of a media frenzy that threatens to take all of them down.

Banding together to clear their names, the fierce adversaries become temporary allies and vow to dig up the truth. But when Layla, Aster, and Tommy team up with an unsuspecting insider, they will find that some secrets are best kept in the grave.

Short and Sweet

After Madison’s disappearance Aster has become suspect number one. Those closest to Aster know she didn’t do it, now Tommy, Layla, and Aster have to come together and try to figure out what actually happened to Madison to clear Aster’s name.

Characters

Layla: In this book Layla is still a wannabe reporter but she also still works for Ira. I liked Layla a lot in this book she thought about things before taking action and she really wanted to help Aster. Layla is still fierce and snarky but she has to make a lot of hard decisions in this book that could ruin her.

Aster: Well Aster has it hard in this book, she’s out on bail and she’s the number one suspect when it comes to Madison’s disappearance. All Aster wants to do is clear her name and move on, but she knows she has to be careful about how she handles things.

Tommy: Tommy still wants to be a musician and in this book he’s making his dreams come true. Tommy actually wants nothing to do with the Aster Madison drama and just wants to focus on his career.

Madison: Madison is somewhere she’s been kidnapped and she’s just trying to survive and escape.

Ryan: Madison’s ex-boyfriend. I was actually shocked that we got to see more of Ryan in this book, but he was more than willing to help the group find out what happened.

Mateo: Layla’s ex-boyfriend. Mateo has been working on modeling and is trying to make money to pay for his sisters hospital bills.

Ira: Ira the owner of the unrivaled night clubs and he seems very willing to help Aster with getting lawyers and getting her out of jail.

Romance

Aster and Ryan: I actually liked the budding relationship between these two especially after what happened in the last book. Ryan wants to help Aster and I liked how patient he was with her, because she was wary about him for most of the book.

Layla and Tommy: After their kiss from the last book Layla and Tommy haven’t done anything since, but in this book they still have a connection but it isn’t their main focus.

My Thoughts

~ I loved how everyone teamed up to help Aster and they all put clues together to try to figure out what happened to Madison and who’s actually to blame for her disappearance.

~ In this book someone starts sending Layla mysterious packages with threats and diary entries that seem to be written by Madison before she became Madison. These threats tell Layla to post the diary entries on her blog but Layla is reluctant.

~ Madison is still out there somewhere and she doesn’t know where and doesn’t know who her captor or captors are, but she does have a blacklist of people she thinks could have put her in this position.

~ We still follow each character and how they live their lives but Aster has to deal with being on the hook for Madison, Layla is dealing with threats and trying to please her boss, and Tommy is working on his music.

Overall

I loved this book there’s so much going on and it works well, its never to overwhelming. I loved the mystery aspect and I still don’t know who could have taken Madison or what exactly happened in her past but I’m excited to find out how everything will wrap up in the next book!

SmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatingsHalf

THE LADY’S GUIDE TO PETTICOATS AND PIRACY By Mackenzi Lee

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 LADY’S GUIDE TO PETTICOATS AND PIRACY By Mackenzi LeeThe Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee
Series: Montague Siblings #2
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 10/2/18
Genres: Historical, Young Adult
Pages: 464
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

A year after an accidentally whirlwind grand tour with her brother Monty, Felicity Montague has returned to England with two goals in mind—avoid the marriage proposal of a lovestruck suitor from Edinburgh and enroll in medical school. However, her intellect and passion will never be enough in the eyes of the administrators, who see men as the sole guardians of science.

But then a window of opportunity opens—a doctor she idolizes is marrying an old friend of hers in Germany. Felicity believes if she could meet this man he could change her future, but she has no money of her own to make the trip. Luckily, a mysterious young woman is willing to pay Felicity’s way, so long as she’s allowed to travel with Felicity disguised as her maid.

In spite of her suspicions, Felicity agrees, but once the girl’s true motives are revealed, Felicity becomes part of a perilous quest that leads them from the German countryside to the promenades of Zurich to secrets lurking beneath the Atlantic.

Short and Sweet

After joining her brother Monty on his grand tour of Europe, Felicity Montague is determined to make her dreams of enrolling in a medical school and becoming a doctor come true. But her ambitions are usually ignored by male superiors who believe that practicing medicine is a job for men only. When Felicity finds out an old friend of hers is marrying one of the doctors she idolizes she believes this is finally her chance. The only problem is that Felicity has no money to make it to Germany on her own, but a women offers to pay for Felicity’s journey just as long as she gets to come along and pretend to be Felicity’s maid. Felicity doesn’t know what the girls motives are but when she finds out Felicity ends up on a quest around the countryside.

Characters

Felicity: Our main character who will do anything she can just to get a chance to learn more about medicine and become a doctor. We obviously learn a lot more about Felicity in this book because its her story. I did learn that though Felicity is more level headed and thinks things through more than Monty she seems to think she’s more superior than those who don’t see things the way she does. Even though she was a little off-putting and judgmental she grew so much throughout the book and I loved that and who her character turned out to be.

Sim: Sim our mysterious pirate who pays for the journey to Germany. Sim is the daughter of the most feared pirate commanders, and since she’s the first born she wants to prove herself but this proves to be hard because she’s a woman. Sim joins Felicity, because she wants to take something from Johanna’s house that she believes rightfully belongs to her family. I liked Sim despite all of the obstacles in her way she never gave up and was determined to do what she had to even if her means were wrong.

Johanna: Johanna… I loved Johanna so much. When Johanna and Felicity were teenagers they didn’t end on the right foot mainly because Felicity was into medicine and learning more and Johanna liked spending her time getting dressed up and going to functions. I think what I loved the most about Johanna was that she was seen as a girl who is soft because she preferred dresses and makeup but Johanna is fierce, smart, and loves her dog Max.

Platt: The Doctor that Felicity idolizes and Johanna’s fiancé. Platt obviously seems like a good person because he’s willing to Felicity a chance, but he plans on going on an expedition after the wedding but the details aren’t fully exposed.

Monty: Felicity’s older brother. I loved Monty in his book and I loved him in this book as well. He’s a sibling and as most people know siblings can get on your nerves but he does care about Felicity and wants to look out for her.

Percy: Monty’s boyfriend. I love Percy he’s like another brother to felicity and cares about her too I just love him so much and his sweet demeanor.

Romance

Felicity and Sim: Hmm well these two have an interesting relationship. They’re not very fond of each other in the beginning but as they get to know each other more they begin to form more of a friendship.

Monty and Percy: Well Monty and Percy are still as lovable as ever. They care for each other and we can see this in the book and they genuinely like each others company they balance each other out.

Johanna and Platt: I don’t know how their relationship started but this is one of those things where these two are just together to be together, mainly because Platt wants something he can only get if he says he’s Johannas husband.

Quotes

~ “Well,” I reply, “good thing I’d rather not be any man’s protege.”

My Thoughts

~ Lots of girl power in this book! I loved that Felicity never gave up on her dream to learn more about medicine. Johanna and Sim are also strong female figures in this book.

~ I like adventures and this one was perfect I mean all Felicity wanted was to go to Germany to meet Platt but the next thing she knows she’s going around the countryside trying to help Johanna proclaim her mothers work.

~ We also get some pirates in this book. At the beginning of the book we see Scipio and his crew again which is also where Felicity and Sim meet.

~ My favorite thing about this book was seeing Felicity grow as a person I mentioned it earlier but I feel like its worth mentioning again. Felicity becomes a softer version of herself  and more understanding to the fact that other people will have interest that are different than hers.

~ There were a few things I weren’t expecting in this book like Platt being an awful person, Johanna knowing this, Felicity finding out and being smart enough to find Johanna, and Sim trying to find something to keep her father’s territories safe from the English.

~ I was also so happy with the ending its not really what I was expecting but it was still good and I am impressed with all of the characters!

Overall

I’m glad we got a book with Felicity’s point of view and she got to go on an amazing quest on the German countryside and showed us just how amazing girls can be, especially when they work together. We get to see our favorite characters from the last book, meet new characters who are just as amazing. I definitely recommend this book if you’re looking to go on an adventure with our characters, I would also recommend picking up the first book and starting there if you haven’t already!

SmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatings

THIS DARKNESS MINE By Mindy McGinnis

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

THIS DARKNESS MINE By Mindy McGinnisThis Darkness Mine by Mindy McGinnis
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 10/10/17
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Sasha Stone knows her place—first-chair clarinet, top of her class, and at the side of her Oxford-wearing boyfriend. She’s worked her entire life to ensure her path to Oberlin Conservatory as a star musician is perfectly paved.

But suddenly there’s a fork in the road in the shape of Isaac Harver. Her body shifts toward him when he walks by, and her skin misses his touch even though she’s never known it. Why does he act like he knows her so well—too well—when she doesn’t know him at all?

Sasha discovers that her by-the-book life began by ending the chapter of another: the twin sister she absorbed in the womb. But that doesn’t explain the gaps of missing time in her practice schedule, or the memories she has of things she certainly never did with Isaac.

Armed with the knowledge that her heart might not be hers alone, Sasha must decide what she’s willing to do—and who she’s willing to hurt—to take it back.

Short and Sweet Review

real housewives of atlanta sigh GIF by RealityTVGIFs

My reaction after finishing this book, I literally had to calm myself down. This was not a good book, I will repeat This Darkness Mine was not good at all. I just don’t even know where to start with all of the problems I had but first I will just give you guys a synopsis of the book. Our main character is Sasha Stone, Sasha is a good girl, she’s on track to be valedictorian, she’s first chair and loves to play her clarinet, she has no time for nonsense. So when Sasha can’t remember giving her number to Issac or even going out with him at 3 in the morning she starts to get concerned. Then Sasha learns that her would be twin was absorbed in the womb by her and the only thing from the twin that survived is her heart which now lives on in Sasha. We come to learn that Sasha’s twin would have been named Shanna, and Shanna wants to come out to play and she wants to be bad, she wants to do what she wants and doesn’t care who she hurts in the process. So now that we learn all of this I initially was excited to read this book because I wanted to know what was wrong with Sasha and why she didn’t remember what she was doing and these chunks of time that were missing from her memory. It felt like it’d be a kind of set up for a mystery and then we come to find out about the twin she absorbed in the womb and then I was like okay so which twin is going to win the one thats controlling the heart or the one who’s controlling the brain? There’s also some scenes with Shanna communicating with Sasha and we see how angry Shanna is about being suppressed for the past 17 years. Now my biggest problem with this book was I honestly ugh, I don’t want to spoil anything but I feel like Shanna was an excuse for Sasha to act out, you know? Like, “Oh it wasn’t me acting out and throwing a fit it was my evil twin.” The problem with this was Sasha legit used this as an excuse every time she did something bad and at first I believed her, like could the twin she absorbed really have this much power? And the more we read I feel like the answer is absolutely not! I feel like Sasha just had some issues that she wasn’t dealing with properly. I felt bad for the other characters in this book that had to deal with her, especially Issac, she was definitely playing with that poor guys emotions. She would hang out with him and be like oh its not me Sasha who wants you its Shanna, and it was just like wow you’re really messing with this guys emotions with this nonsense. Honestly half way through the book theres an accident and I felt unnecessary to the plot or maybe it was because then we really learn how crazy this whole Sasha Shanna deal is. I just feel like things went to far in this book, Sasha/Shanna didn’t care who got hurt whenever they pulled one of their crazy antics and Sasha is cold blooded and mean even to the people closest to her, Sasha Stone is not a good person. I definitely would not recommend this book mainly because it mad me so mad especially the ending I feel like things just could have been executed better.

SmileRatingsSmileRatings

PURPLE HEARTS By Michael Grant

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

PURPLE HEARTS By Michael GrantPurple Hearts by Michael Grant
Series: Front Lines #3
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 1/30/18
Genres: Historical, War, Young Adult
Pages: 576
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Courage, sacrifice, and fear have lead Rio, Frangie, and Rainy through front-line battles in North Africa and Sicily, and their missions are not over. These soldiers and thousands of Allies must fight their deadliest battle yet—for their country and their lives—as they descend into the freezing water and onto the treacherous sands of Omaha Beach. It is June 6, 1944. D-Day has arrived.

No longer naive recruits, these soldier girls are now Silver Star recipients and battle-hardened. Others look to them for guidance and confidence, but this is a war that will leave sixty million dead. Flesh will turn to charcoal. Piles will be made of torn limbs. The women must find a way to lead while holding on to their own last shreds of belief in humanity.

Short and Sweet

In this final installment of the Front Lines series, Rainy, Rio, and Frangie, are fighting for their country and the strength to get through the war while remaining sane and keeping their hope in humanity. D-Day arrives and the girls still have a lot left to fight for if they’re going to make it out of this war alive, they’ll be crossing enemy lines and trying to survive.

Characters

Rio: Rio has moved up in ranks and is now a sergeant. In this book Rio struggles with having to keep her platoon alive. Rio is such a strong character and so are all of the other female leads in this series. Rio calls things how she sees them and she’s grown so much through the series and you can tell. I like the fact that she knows that even though she’s a girl and most men won’t take her seriously that she’s still just as powerful as them if not more.

Rainy: Rainy is smart and she always has been. I like Rainy a lot, in this book she’s tasked with finding out where the enemy is going and reporting back to the Army with this information. Rainy has to deal with a traitor and she sees some things that disturb her while on this mission.

Frangie: Frangie our medic. I feel like Frangie has it the worst, even though she’s just a medic and isn’t fighting she sees a lot of the aftermath of the war. She has to tend to soldiers with extreme injuries and she has to go on everyday seeing people die or soldiers intentionally trying to hurt themselves to get out of the war. Frangie does the best that she can and I think she’s great she puts so much effort into helping the soldiers and she has a natural caring nature about her.

Romance

Rio and Strand: This two have been sweethearts before they even got enlisted. I really liked these two together and I was kind of sad to see it fall apart just because Strand was embarrassed by how much better Rio was at being a soldier than he was.

Rio and Jack: Jack is one of the soldiers in Rio’s group and in Silver Stars the two shared a kiss and in this book we can see that they still care about each other.

Frangie and Walter: Walter is a soldier that Frangie sees from time to time. I think these two are really sweet together whenever I read scenes with them I can’t help but to smile.

Final Thoughts

Theres just so much to say about this book. This whole series was amazing the accuracy about things that occurred during WW2 and Grant just captured that beautifully in his writing. Like I said before all of the female leads are such strong women and are determined to fight for their country, I loved getting to read about each of them and follow them on their journeys. I feel like the background characters were great too, especially Jenou I love that she and Rio got to go into this as best friends and it stayed that way throughout the series. This is one of my favorite series and I’m so glad that I read it and I will always recommend this series to friends, so check out the Front Lines trilogy!

SmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatings

MONDAY’S NOT COMING By Tiffany D. Jackson

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.

MONDAY’S NOT COMING By Tiffany D. JacksonMonday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 5/22/18
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Young Adult
Pages: 448
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Monday Charles is missing, and only Claudia seems to notice. Claudia and Monday have always been inseparable—more sisters than friends. So when Monday doesn’t turn up for the first day of school, Claudia’s worried.

When she doesn’t show for the second day, or second week, Claudia knows that something is wrong. Monday wouldn’t just leave her to endure tests and bullies alone. Not after last year’s rumors and not with her grades on the line. Now Claudia needs her best—and only—friend more than ever. But Monday’s mother refuses to give Claudia a straight answer, and Monday’s sister April is even less help.

As Claudia digs deeper into her friend’s disappearance, she discovers that no one seems to remember the last time they saw Monday. How can a teenage girl just vanish without anyone noticing that she’s gone?

Short and Sweet

After returning from her trip to Georgia all Claudia wants to do is talk and hang out with her best friend Monday, but somethings wrong. Every time she tries to call Monday’s house the operator tells her that the phone is disconnected and when she sees Monday’s sister April even her answers about Monday’s whereabouts don’t feel right to Claudia. Monday wouldn’t just leave Claudia, and deep down she knows somethings wrong especially when no one seems to give her a straight answer or tell her the last time they saw Monday.

Characters

Claudia: Claudia is our main character and in my opinion she’s pretty complex. Claudia and Monday are more like sisters than friends so Claudia is very dependent on that friendship, its also the only one she has. Though it was strange to me that Claudia only had Monday as her friend, because once Monday was gone Claudia had nobody and it was hard for her to try and find new people to talk to. Claudia is also a little childlike, but we learn more about why later, she also struggles in school which is difficult for her to handle especially because Monday would help her with assignments so she feels like Monday left her high and dry.

Monday: Monday is Claudia’s best friend. Theres so much to Monday’s character that we don’t know about because everything we learn about her is from Claudia’s flashbacks. Monday is struggling with her own secrets and keeps them to herself. From what I read Monday is an amazing friend to Claudia and tries to protect and help her however she can.

Michael: A boy from Claudia’s church that she begins talking to and on occasion hangs out with.

Romance

Claudia and Michael: Michael and Claudia have always gone to church together but she didn’t really talk to him, but they meet up again during Halloween at the church and start talking and things took off from there. Michael tries to make Claudia laugh and help her deal with the fact that Monday is gone. I think they have good chemistry I just feel bad for Michael because sometimes Claudia would get mad at him for saying something that would bother her but he would say these things to try to make her feel better, like letting her know that she’s not the only one with learning disabilities she felt like he was being insensitive.

Quotes

~”Everyone was looking for these girls, while I was the only one looking for Monday.”

My Thoughts

~ So, I finished this book a few days ago and thats how much time I needed to wrap my head around everything. Theres just so many questions I have it just baffles me that no one knew that Monday was missing.

~ Lets start with this, the book is told in alternate timelines: before, after, one year before the before, or two years before the before. At first I didn’t understand the timeline, but after the first few chapters it was easy to understand what was going on. The alternate timelines are a way for the readers to try to piece together Claudias clues about what happened.

~ This book is so captivating, like I said it blows my mind that Claudia was the only one who seemed worried about Monday’s wellbeing. It seemed like once Monday was gone nobody seemed to remember her at all.

~ Claudia, depends on Monday, mainly because thats her only friend. Claudia and Monday would do almost everything together and I felt bad that Claudia only had that one relationship. So its understandable why Claudia is so desperate to find Monday.

~ I can’t say it enough, I’m disturbed that a girl can just go missing like that and no one seems to care… it eerie.

~ Earlier I mentioned that Claudia doesn’t act her age and I won’t give any spoilers but thinking back it works perfectly to how the story is told. Claudia is naive and has an innocence to her and it just makes you wonder why is she like this.

~ I also liked how Claudias parents were so involved and tried to comfort Claudia because they knew she needed to be able to express how she feels.

~ Again the ending just messes with my head so much and it kept me up all night just thinking about how things can go so wrong, and its sad that this happens all the time, girls go missing but how many people are actually looking for them?

~ I like that we can see how Claudia lives her life with and without Monday in it, without Monday she’s just trying to make it through each day, and with Monday she feels safe and has someone to confide in.

Overall

Jackson is an amazing storyteller I didn’t want to put this book down at all. It’s just so crazy how everything unravels and things piece together in the end. Its so easy to becoming engrossed in the mystery surrounding where Monday is and what happened the ending is mind-blowing! This is a book I won’t forget about anytime soon. I will definitely be recommending this book to friends, family, and you guys!

SmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatings

BREAK US By Jennifer Brown

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

BREAK US By Jennifer BrownBreak Us by Jennifer Brown
Series: Nikki Kill #3
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 2/13/18
Genres: Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Nikki Kill doesn’t see the world in black and white. Her synesthesia shades everything in view, transforming numbers, words, and emotions into colorful clues. Which means she’s a dangerous commodity to anyone with something to hide.

Nikki has already taken on the Hollises—one of L.A.’s most powerful families—for murdering her half sister, Peyton. However, Nikki’s next steps are clouded by the gray of uncertainty. Before she knows it, Nikki is on the trail of a cold case that couldn’t be any more personal—the death of her mother.

But when the web of lies and secrets she uncovers leads back to the people who have tried to silence her, Nikki must pursue the sunbeam gold of justice, or everything—including her life—will be lost.

Short and Sweet

After dealing with the Hollis family you would think Nikki’s life would be somewhat safer but she still has the feeling that she can solve her mothers murder, and she needs to find Luna before Luna finds her.

Characters

Nikki: Our main character. Over the course of this series we see Nikki’s character develop so much! She now uses her synesthesia to help lead her in the direction that could help her solve her mothers murder. Nikki is still a strong character despite what she’s had to go through in the past two books. I love her dialogue she’s sarcastic and snarky, she’s also learned to admit when she’s wrong.

Chris: Detective Martinez. I love him! But in this book he’s struggling after his accident to remember things from his past. So we see Martinez get frustrated with himself when he remembers something but doesn’t know why what he remembered was important or how it would help him solve his case.

Romance

Nikki and Chris: I’ve always loved the chemistry that these two have. Nikki has a certain personality and a lot of people don’t mesh with her she tries to keep to herself and be independent but Chris changes that and forces Nikki to let him in and it works most of the time. Things were a little different in this book because of the fact that Chris couldn’t remember a lot of things and that includes most of his partnership with Nikki and I could tell it was hard for her to deal with that.

My Thoughts

~ I was so excited when I started reading this book, it takes place right after the events of Dare Me and it’s so easy to just jump right back into this world.

~ This book is so suspenseful, Nikki always puts herself in situations without a plan and she just wings it and it worries me so much, I read about her doing these things and I worry about her wellbeing. She’ll be within inches of someone who is trying to harm her and make it out alive.

~ I liked that this book focused more on finding out about Nikki’s mothers murder, it was a cold case and though other people gave up Nikki never did.

~ We also have Luna who’s still around somewhere but we have no idea exactly and it was unsettling to know that she was still out there, because she’s smart and she keeps tabs on Nikki or she has other people do it.

~ We also learn about the case that Chris was working on before the accident and that was interesting to follow because not even Chris was entirely sure what the case was about, so we see him remember piece by piece.

~ I loved the mysteries that we follow through the course of this series and this conclusion did not disappoint.

~ Following Nikki and Chris around California to try to solve their respective cases was fun. They depend on each other a lot in this book and I like that they’re a team their dynamic is so great!

Overall

This was an amazing conclusion to this trilogy! This trilogy will always be one of my favorites and Nikki is a character that I’ll remember. I’m sad to say goodbye but I know I’ll always be able to go back and reread everything that made me fall in love with the Nikki Kill series. I definitely recommend this trilogy for lovers of mystery and thrillers and an amazing female lead!

SmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatings

TRULY DEVIOUS By Maureen Johnson

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.

TRULY DEVIOUS By Maureen JohnsonTruly Devious by Maureen Johnson
Series: Truly Devious #1
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 1/16/18
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. It was founded by Albert Ellingham, an early twentieth century tycoon, who wanted to make a wonderful place full of riddles, twisting pathways, and gardens. “A place,” he said, “where learning is a game.”

Shortly after the school opened, his wife and daughter were kidnapped. The only real clue was a mocking riddle listing methods of murder, signed with the frightening pseudonym “Truly, Devious.” It became one of the great unsolved crimes of American history.

True-crime aficionado Stevie Bell is set to begin her first year at Ellingham Academy, and she has an ambitious plan: She will solve this cold case. That is, she will solve the case when she gets a grip on her demanding new school life and her housemates: the inventor, the novelist, the actor, the artist, and the jokester. But something strange is happening. Truly Devious makes a surprise return, and death revisits Ellingham Academy. The past has crawled out of its grave. Someone has gotten away with murder.

Short and Sweet

Albert Ellingham created Ellingham Academy a private school in Vermont for students who were bright. Tragedy struck when a mysterious person going by the name Truly Devious leaves a riddle for Ellingham, not only that but Ellingham’s wife and child were kidnapped and a student was murdered. Now in present day Stevie Bell is ready to attend Ellingham Academy. Stevie loves crimes, mysteries, and is determined to solve the infamous Truly Devious case, but things get complicated when strange things start to occur at Ellingham.

Characters

Stevie: Our main character. I loved Stevie, we don’t see many protagonist that are into true crime. Stevie looked at things from all angles and she pieced things together. I was rooting for Stevie to finally solve the case that no one else has been able to.

Janelle: One of Stevie’s roommates. Janelle was an inventor and someone Stevie had correspondance with online before they both arrived at Ellingham Academy. Janelle was supportive of Stevie and her interest in solving the murder and I love how sweet she is to everyone she meets.

Nate: One of Stevie’s roommates. Nate was a writer and he liked to stay to himself. He was interesting in the fact that you really had to get things out him, but he was a good friend to Stevie when she needed it.

Hayes: One of Stevie’s roommates. Hayes was a youtube star and was looking for some new ideas. He didn’t mind the attention because any publicity is good publicity.

Ellie: One of Stevie’s roommates. Ellie was a second year student and she was very out there. Ellie is an artist and she wasn’t shy.

David: One of Stevie’s roommates. David was considered the jokester of the group. He was also a second year student.

Romance

Stevie and David: Opposites attract and thats what happened with these two. David got on Stevie’s nerves and to retaliate she would come up with sly remarks. I didn’t like the two of them together it just didn’t feel right.

Janelle and Vi: We don’t get to know the details of their relationship but we do see them in a few scenes and it was cute.

Quotes

~ “Games are not fun when you don’t know you’re playing.”

~ “Stevie had no fears of the dead. The living, however, sometimes gave her the creeps.”

My Thoughts

~ Truly Devious, goes back and forth between the present and when the school first opened, so we get an insight on Albert Ellingham’s life and what occurred the day his wife and child went missing. It also helps to understand more about the past to understand what Stevie sees and knows about the mystery.

~ We don’t get enough clues to solve the mystery on our own but its understandable especially if this is a trilogy and this first book is building up to something.

~ I loved the characters but Stevie, Janelle, and Nate were my favorite. Probably because those three were first year students so they could bond about that.

~ I was more invested in the Truly Devious mystery than the mystery occurring in the present mainly because there was more information on that than on the one currently taking place.

~ One aspect I loved was the police reports from the past, we also get different POVs when reading the chapters about the first mystery. In the present chapters we get Stevie’s POV only

Overall

This book was exactly what I needed to get out of my reading slump! I loved it and I need book two right now! The book just ended when things were starting to come together and left me with a major cliffhanger. I definitely recommend this book if you love mysteries and crime, you even get two mysteries for the price of one!

SmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatingsHalf

THE GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE By Mackenzi Lee

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 GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE By Mackenzi LeeThe Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
Series: Montague Siblings #1
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 6/27/17
Genres: Action & Adventure, Historical, LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Young Adult
Pages: 528
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

A young bisexual British lord embarks on an unforgettable Grand Tour of Europe with his best friend/secret crush. An 18th-century romantic adventure for the modern age written by This Monstrous Thing author Mackenzi LeeSimon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets the 1700s.

Henry “Monty” Montague doesn’t care that his roguish passions are far from suitable for the gentleman he was born to be. But as Monty embarks on his grand tour of Europe, his quests for pleasure and vice are in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.

So Monty vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.

Short and Sweet

Monty and his best friend Percy are going on a grand tour of Europe, and they plan on having the time of their lives. Even with his younger sister, Felicity coming along, Monty won’t let it ruin his fun. But things get crazy when the group encounters an ancient artifact, highwaymen, and pirates.

Characters

Henry “Monty” Montague: Our main character who grew a lot over the course of the book. Monty has the most engaging voice, he’s entertaining and sassy. He got the group into the mess they were in by trying to get even with someone. Monty had the problem of saying things without thinking and often came to regret it, but his friends called him out on it. He was a flawed character but that’s whats great about him because over the course of the book he learned from his mistakes.

Percy: Monty’s best friend and our voice of reason. Percy is also a person a color which I found interesting, because of course during the time that this book takes place it makes travel for the grand tour a bit harder because certain places won’t allow him to stay. Percy also struggles in this book because throughout the course of his friendship with Monty he has always supported him and now Percy has his own demons to fight and wonders if Monty can support him.

Felicity: Monty’s younger sister and the brains of the group. Felicity’s strength and knowledge saved the group from dangerous situations. I was rooting for her throughout the book she had goals and I felt bad that during that time girls her age didn’t have many choices.

Romance

Monty has liked Percy for a while, and thinks the grand tour will be the perfect time to express how he feels. But things don’t work well mainly because Percy seems more annoyed with Monty than smitten. It seemed like Monty always said or did the wrong thing that ended up pushing Percy away.

My Thoughts

~ This isn’t an ordinary grand tour of Europe, like it was expected to be. Mayhem begins when the group reaches their first stop in Paris. This leads them to places that are off of their original course.

~ In Paris, Monty steals an artifact that leads to the group being attacked by highwaymen, hiding in a small town, going to Barcelona, meeting pirates, and trying to find something on an island that is sinking.

~ My favorite part of the book was the whole mystery surrounding the artifact and what it does. The artifact was the whole reason the group had to go off course so I was eager to find out what it could do.

~ What I loved the most about this book was how fast paced it was. From the very beginning we embark on a journey with these characters.

~ In each city we meet different characters and all of them add to the story in their own way. My favorite characters were the pirates I loved learning more about them and their ultimate goal.

~ I felt like I was with the trio of characters and I was worried about their well-being, they were in some dangerous positions and on the run from some people who wanted them dead.

Overall

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is a must read! Everything about it is amazing, the characters, the action and adventure, the diversity, and of course the romance. The ending was great and everything was wrapped up nicely. Monty, Percy, and Felicity are a set of characters I won’t forget. This is hands down one of my favorite reads of 2017, and I encourage everyone to pick it up and read it!

SmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatings

 

UNRIVALED By Alyson Noel

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

UNRIVALED By Alyson NoelUnrivaled by Alyson Noel
Series: Beautiful Idols #1
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 5/10/16
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Everyone wants to be someone. Layla Harrison wants to be a reporter. Aster Amirpour wants to be an actress. Tommy Phillips wants to be a guitar hero.

But Madison Brooks took destiny and made it her own a long time ago.

She’s Hollywood’s hottest starlet, and the things she did to become the name on everyone’s lips are merely a stain on the pavement, ground beneath her Louboutin heel.

That is, until Layla, Aster, and Tommy find themselves with a VIP invite to the world of Los Angeles’s nightlife and lured into a competition where Madison Brooks is the target. Just as their hopes begin to gleam like stars through the California smog, Madison Brooks goes missing. . . . And all of their hopes are blacked out in the haze of their lies.

Short and Sweet

We follow Aster, Layla, and Tommy as they work as promoters for Hollywood’s hottest night clubs. Only one will win the competition, each of them thinks this will help kick start their careers.

Characters

Layla: A wannabe reporter trying to make it to a journalism school in New York, she also had a blog where she wrote about celebrities.

Aster: Aster wants to be an actress and this not follow her parents dreams of her either being a doctor or a lawyer. Aster thinks this competition will bring her stardom.

Tommy: A boy from a small town in Oklahoma who moved to LA to start his music career.

Madison: Hollywood’s “It girl” who has a mysterious past.

Ira Redman: Owner of the clubs.

Romance

Okay so first I’ll start with actual relationships and then move to hookups.

Layla and Mateo: They were in a relationship before the Layla joined the competition, but their relationship becomes strained the more Layla focuses on the competition and not Mateo.

Madison and Ryan: So both of these characters are celebrities. This relationship was set up by their agents hoping to get both of them some more publicity. You can tell from the beginning that this relationship isn’t working, they’re both basically using each other, not the kind of relationship where you would look at them and say, “aw they’re so in love!”

Aster and Ryan: I don’t even know where to start with this. This was one of those things where the girl knows that the guy has a boyfriend but the guy was like no no I don’t really like the person i’m in a relationship with. So basically these two hooked up and it was front page news.

Layla and Tommy: These two just shared a drunken kiss on the dance floor.

Quotes

~ “I came here to win, same as you. And that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

My Thoughts

~ There are four POVs and I feel like once you read through all of them in the first couple of chapters, it’s not hard to keep up with which one you’re reading. There wasn’t a particular person I liked reading more than the other mainly because each of them was exciting and held my interest. each character had something going on in their lives outside of the competition.

~ The competition was changing everyone’s life and we get to see how far they’ll really go just to win. You can even see some of the characters losing themselves and even though they knew right from wrong they were in it to win it.

~ Each character was unique and different in their own ways they each came from a different walk of life. I feel that Aster and Layla went through more character development than Tommy did.

~ So the mystery aspect of the book didn’t take part until the 65% point. And this isn’t a spoiler but I feel like there is still so much that was unanswered and I hope most of those questions are answered in the next book, Blacklist.

~ Madison was an interesting character, she’s mysterious and I want to know more about her. I’m sure everyone in the book wants to know more about her. Madison’s past is a mystery in and of itself and what she’s hiding must be big.

~ I thought the competition aspect was okay. There were three nightclubs and each main character worked in one and they had teams. At the end of the week someone would go home.

Overall

This was a really solid book I loved it and it was exactly what I needed to get me out of my slump. It’s fast paced and full of secrets, lies, blackmailing, and mystery. This book held my attention from the very beginning to the end. Definitely recommend it!

SmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatingsHalf

 

#FAMOUS By Jilly Gagnon

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

#FAMOUS By Jilly Gagnon#famous by Jilly Gagnon
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 2/14/17
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

In this modern day love story: Girl likes boy. Girl snaps photo and posts it online. Boy becomes insta-famous. And what starts out as an innocent photo turns into a whirlwind adventure that forces them both to question whether fame—and love—are worth the price…and changes both of their lives forever.

Short and Sweet Review

One faithful day at the mall Rachel takes a picture of Kyle and she post the picture on Flit a social media website and it ends up going viral. Kyle becomes a sensation and people want to meet him and take pictures and he even ends up on a talk show. Rachel on the other hand got a lot of backlash people were vicious. I enjoyed the storyline, it was cute and light. We have to see how these two navigate whats happening to them, Rachel with dealing with mean comments and Kyle with the stardom. We also get to see Kyle and Rachel be put together because of the talk show that Kyle goes on. I think they were both okay characters we don’t see much growth from them but we see how they deal with their struggles, Rachel with trying to accept herself while others are putting her down and Kyle with not losing himself and his current reality with everything that is happening. The ending was great and things were wrapped up nicely. This book was cute, light, and a fast read it would be a good read for the summer, just two teens dealing with stardom.

SmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatingsSmileRatings