Guys, weren't we literally just celebrating the New Year and posting our resolutions?! ell We are down the first month of 2016 and tomorrow we wil begin February. CRAZY! Let's see. This month hasn't been much fun. I've been sick, my son has been sick, and my husband has been sick. Hopefully, we got our 2016 sickness out of the way and will be fine the rest of the yer... right? I've also been a bit bookoutlet crazy... Like way crazy. I may or may not have spent close to $200 on that website since Christmas alone... I'm not saying. I have gotten quite a bit done this month though, and I'm still here!! I tend to blog religiously for like a week or 2 then drop off the face of the planet for several months to years. I'm counting the fact that I've stuck around a whole month as a big win!

So, without further ado...

What I read in January

             

Red Queen (4/5 stars) The Wrath and the Dawn (5/5 stars) Eleanor & Park (3/5 stars) The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (5/5 stars) My Kind of Wonderful (5/5 stars) Firsts(1/5 stars) Everything Everything (4/5 stars) Until November (3/5 stars) Passenger (5/5 stars) F*ck Love (2.5/5 stars) To All the Boys I've Loved Before (5/5 Stars) P.S. I Still Love You (4/5 stars) Truthwitch (5/5 stars) The Gathering (4/5 stars)

14 books. Not too shabby if I may say so myself. I had a lot of off time at work though, so I don't expect to get that much read next month... I can dream, but I doubt it'll happen. I'm a pretty positive rater... I think on average I rate twice as many books with 4 and 5 stars than 3 and below. So, I'm actually surprised at how many lower rated books I have this month. I wouldn't say it was a bad reading month, but I definitely struck out with a few of these. I love giving 5 stars... Book Critique I am not.... I just generally love them and love talking about them.

Favorite Read
I loved this book. I just finished it last night and I'm at a loss for words. It was just Fantastic. I wish I had the sequel now. Why did I read it so quickly?! It was so wonderful, but now I'm dying to know more. I also want to give an honorable mention to The Wrath and the Dawn it was beautiful. I almost chose it, but then I just had to go with Truthwitch.







Worst Read
This is not even a little bit of a surprise if you read my review. I couldn't even finish this one. It still makes me sad to think about.










Most Surprising
This is sadly not in a good way. I haven't gotten my review up yet, so I'll try not to say too much. But, I expected to love this book. I've heard such wonderful things about this author and how her books are great... but it just read like a fanfiction too me. I felt like she was trying too hard. More about this one in my review soon.







On My Blog in Januray
I'm a bit behind in my reviews, but that's okay. I like to let books digest for awhile first. I've found myself changing my ratings several times after a few days of thinking on it. Here are the reviews I did write this month.

The Wrath and the Dawn
Red Queen
Eleanor & Park
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
My Kind of Wonderful
Firsts
Everything Everything
F*ck Love


What I'm Looking Forward to in February
  

I narrowed this down. I have 14 books being released next month that I'm keeping an eye on. These 3 are getting really good prerelease reviews. I have Glass Sword preordered though. I'm so excited to read what will happen next in Mare's story. The other 2 I'm just so excited about. I'll probably end up getting them both before March. In fact, I'm thinking about ordering Unhooked next week sometime.

Well, there you have it. I think a great bookish start to 2016! What did you read this month?

Review: F*ck Love by Tarryn Fisher

F*ck Love
Tarryn Fisher
Published: December 31, 2015
My Rating: ★★★ (more like 2.5)

Summary: (Taken from Goodreads)

Helena Conway has fallen in love.
Unwillingly. Unwittingly.
But not unprovoked.
Kit Isley is everything she’s not—unstructured, untethered,
and not even a little bit careful.
It could all be so beautiful … if he wasn’t dating her best friend.
Helena must defy her heart, do the right thing, and think of others.
Until she doesn’t.

Links
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes and Noble

Cover Comments
I actually really like this cover. It's so harsh and kind of creepy. Not your normal romance cover at all. The cover kind of mesmerized me so much that I couldn't wait to read the book.

My Thoughts
The first chapter had me just so excited. I was confused, and my mind was all sorts of backwards and forwards... It was great. From there, I have to say the book was kind of downhill... It was a fast paced read and kept me entertained, but I just didn't really like it much. 

Let's talk about our main character Helena. Helena is a boring book smarts girl. She's fine with that. Until the first chapter of our book happens. This girl hs one small little dream that leads to a small little crush that she lets completely change her personality and everything about herself... I get new adult likes to have girls discover themselves, but Helena didn't discover herself. She just completely changed herself to be the kind of womann she though Kit wanted to be with... Honestly, Helena kind of creeps me out. She has stalkerish tendancies. I know uite a few of you bloggers are younger than I am, in the college years. Can I just say, girls, don't change yourself for a guy and don't stalk him. That's not the way to get a guy... despite what happens in this book. Oh and Kit... ugh he's so boring. When I read a romance, I want to be attracted to a guy... I didn't get what was special about him at all.

The plot also drove me nuts. It just kept going around and around in circles with nothing ever happening. I'd say the first 3/4 of the book are just Helena obsessing over best friends boyfriend and feeling equal parts guilty and slightly proud of herself, cause honestly, she's a crap friend no matter what she tells herself. The the very end was so so so confusing. I was lost. My friends that read it were lost. I assume Fisher is setting up for another book with another storyline, but it didn' feel like it fit here in this book. It was like oh yeah, let me throw this in even though it does nothing for the storyline whatsoever. 

Despite this pretty harsh review, I did give the book 3 stars which is more 2.5, but I didn't have a half star. Fisher is a very talented author. She's very entertaining to read. Even while I was getting annoyed at what was happening, I didn't want to put the book down. For that reason alone I gave it an extra star. No one likes a book that is easy to put down... and this one really honestly wasn't. 

Overall, I'm not sure about the ratings on Goodreads on this one. I did a readalong with quite a few friends (I think 20 or so of us in all). We all have different interests and styles, and only 2 or 3 of us really liked the book. Most people had the same thoughts I did. I don't like to say it, but I think the rating on this one might be skewed by the Tarryn Fisher fangirls. That's great that she has them... but I don't think this book really warrants the 4.26 rating it currently has. I've read mush better works by her in the past. I don't know.. did you like it? I'd love to hear from someone that read and loved the book, just because I don't get it... and I feel like maybe I missed something that made the book awesome.

Stacking the Shelves {4}

Link up at Tynga's Reviews

What a week! I worked Mon-Wed. See keeping to my New Years Resolution already! Then, my son was sick. So basically I haven't been online since Monday night. I've been holed up on the couch with my son watching Paw Patrol or Daniel Tiger or Sesame Street nonstop for 3 days... I'm tired of kiddie shows. But hey, I have been reminded on all my numbers and letters. I've also learned how to be a better friend and deal with frustration... small frustrations like a toy missing, not like having 33 kids all talking and playing and not listening to you. Solutions for those types of things do not show up on preschool shows.

Anyways, here is my haul this week.

       

P.S. I still Love You by Jenny Han - I already read this. Pretty much started it the night it came in the mail. It was good. I preferred the first book, but gosh Han made me feel like a teenager again.

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson - I've heard this one is really good... and I can't read the title without having Kelly Clarkson singning on repeat in my head.

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill - This is a cover buy. I'll read it eventually, but I honestly just bought it because it's pretty.

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider - when I was at Alexandra Bracken's book signing last week, I was chit chatting with the girl behind me in line. She said she LOVES this book, so I decided to try it out. I don't really know much about it.

The Love that Split the World by Emily Henry - Guys, I'm so excited about this one! I've been watching it since the synopsis came out. It is getting really good reviews on Goodreads too! I preordered it, and will most likely read it in the next few days.

Unearthly Series by Cynthia Hand - I read Unearthly way back when it first came out and no one had heard of it. Harperteen had like 9 books go on ebook sale for $0.99 and I bought them all. Anyways, I loved it, but never got around to reading the rest. I'll probably do a reread before I read the rest.

So there is my haul this week. I think next week will be pretty big. My husband is going ot divorce me you guys... I just got a new bokshelf and it is already almost full... I'm going to need another one soon.

What'd you get this week?

Top Ten Tuesday: Freebie!

You can link up here.

This week is a freebie, so I decided to do a topic they did way back in 2011. You see, there are quite a few books I wish I could completely forget everything about, just so I can re-experience the thrills of that first read. They should make an elixer for selective forgetfulness. Anyways, as I'm sure you can tell, my theme this week is Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time.

     

    

1. O'Malley Series - These are Christian Romantic suspense books. I LOVED them when I was in 8th grade and tore through the whole series. I still have every single book today. They are wonderful, but I know them forwards and backwards now.

Twilight Series - Guys, I LOVED these in high school when they first came out. I mean, yeah, now they aren't my favorite books... but I want to recapture that obsessive feeling I had with them. It kind of reminds me of being young and naive.

3. On the Island I love this book. I really do. It is one of my top 10. It is just wonderful. That is all.

4. Throne of Glass Series I just finally read this over the summer and I love them. I plan to hopefully reread the whole series before the new bok comes out at the very end of September. Once again, these are in my top ten books now.

5. Rock Chick Series I don't know what it is about these books. They are hilarious, ludacrous, and honestly not that well written. But, I love them. I eat them up. If I need a read that is garaunteed to make me happy, these are what I pick up. I like Kristen Ashley's newer stuff too, but these are my favorites by her.

6. The Sea of Tranquility Another top 10. God, I LOVED this book. I actually only read it once, back when it first came out and no one had heard of it. I'm planning to reread it this year because I don't remember much about it.. just the basic plot and that I LOVED it. Katja Millay, please release another book... please.

7. Harry Potter Series Um, well duh. FAVORITE BOOKS EVER. Enough said.

8. A Kingdom of Dreams After reading Outlander, I went through a medieval, Scottish Highlander Romance kick. I read all of the popular ones. This one is probably my favorite of the bunch, including Outlander which I loved.

9. Hunger Games I just want to experience the pain again without knowing what will happen. A reread of this book will never be as good as the first read was.

10. Anything by Colleen Hoover I love her books, there is always that perfectly tossed in shock value too, that won't ever get you like it does the first time you read it. Although, I probably wouldn't want to reread Ugly Love that book broke me in so many places, I cried for days... it was not pretty. My son was still a bitty baby and I just couldn't deal (post baby hormones and all of that). It was too personal for me. Otherwise, I love all of her books.

Going with that last pick, did anyone see her post about how emotional writing It Ends With Us has made her? I'm kind of scared to read it now. She gets me right in the big feels. If she can't even handle it, how am I going to handle it?

So that was my free week pick. What theme did you go with this week? I had to pick this one because I might have spent too much time in my life wishing I could experience some of these for the first time in my life again. I look at them wistfully and dream... I'm weird I know.

Review: Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

Everything Everything
Nicola Yoon
Published: September 1, 2015
My Rating: ★★★★

Summary: (Taken from Goodreads)
My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

Links
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes and Noble

Cover Comments
I love the cover, it's so cute and colorful and I see a lot of representation from the book in it. I actually might have bought this book just so that I could have the cover. I'm weird like that and enjoy having pretty covers on my bookshelf.

My Thoughts
This was a really cute and fast apced book. It was so interesting too. Once I picked it up I didn't want to put it down. Luckily, it's a really quick read. I think I finished it in just a few hours. I think for this review I'm going to keep it simple and make a pro and con list.

Pros:
- Maddy is mixed! I love that I'm seeing more and more minority main characters pop up in normal books. They aren't just on the sidelines anymore, but at the forefront. And, they are just normal people... too many authors fall into stereotypes when they write characters of a minority racial color.
- Olly. Oh my gosh he's adorable and cute and sweet and caring and just the best. I love him.
- The premise. I don't want to go too much into this. But, I love the premise. It reminds me a bit of the movie The Others (even though the actual storyline and plot is not even a little similar). I like the idea of being stuck inside your home all the time... and exploring how that would affect a person.
- Maddy's Book Reviews. They were hilarious. One sentence spoilers.. and so so so true. I was cracking up any time they came up. I wanted to see more of them.

Cons:
- The mystery. I figured it out pretty quickly, but it was still fun watching Maddy figure things out.
- Olly. Yes, he's here too. I wanted more of him... I wanted to delve more into his character. I'd love to see a rewrite from his point of view.
- The ending. It was too abrupt for me. Adorable, yes.... but so abrupt. I wanted to see what would happen after the big ending, and to me it was just rushed.

But guys, seriously. I loved this book. It was adorable. Definitely worth the read if you haven't gotten to it yet. Like go get it and read it. It's quicka nd fun... you won't regret it one bit.

Review: Firsts by Laure Elizabeth Flynn

Firsts
Laurie Elizabeth Flynn
Published: January 5, 2016
My Rating: ★

Summary: (Taken from Goodreads)
Seventeen-year-old Mercedes Ayres has an open-door policy when it comes to her bedroom, but only if the guy fulfills a specific criteria: he has to be a virgin. Mercedes lets the boys get their awkward, fumbling first times over with, and all she asks in return is that they give their girlfriends the perfect first time- the kind Mercedes never had herself.

Keeping what goes on in her bedroom a secret has been easy- so far. Her absentee mother isn’t home nearly enough to know about Mercedes’ extracurricular activities, and her uber-religious best friend, Angela, won’t even say the word “sex” until she gets married. But Mercedes doesn’t bank on Angela’s boyfriend finding out about her services and wanting a turn- or on Zach, who likes her for who she is instead of what she can do in bed.

When Mercedes’ perfect system falls apart, she has to find a way to salvage her reputation and figure out where her heart really belongs in the process. Funny, smart, and true-to-life, FIRSTS is a one-of-a-kind young adult novel about growing up.

Links
Goodreads - Amazon

Cover Thoughts:
Nothing really special about it. I'm not a fan of the choice of converse shoes on the bed, but it is what it is. I don't think it catches my attention or anything, I just kind of saw it... 

My Thoughts:
I don't give 1 star ratings often, it had to have been a really bad. Honestly, I didn't even get through the whole book. Around 80% I was just done. I didn't care and put it down.

I don't think I'm hip enough for this book. Cool enough? Youn enough? The summary really caught my attention. I thought it'd be a great read, but it just wasn't, at least not for me. I guess my problem was Mercedes. She wasn't likable. I didn't feel bad for her at all. She was a faker. This girl sought out taken boys then rationalized sleeping with them as helping the girls. I hate that. If you want to have sex with a bunch of guys, be my guest. But, don't purposely go for taken guys. I lose all respect for that. To be honest, I knew this going in. I knew I'd hate Mercedes at the beginning, but I expected the author would redeem her somehow and make me feel sympathy for her. And she didn't. Not one bit. I honestly couldn't find 1 single quality that I did like.

I honestly don't even know what to say. I'm really trying to think of something I liked about the book, but the main character makes me so angry that I have a hard time. I guess I like that the author tried to conquer such a difficult topic in her first book. Slut shaming is still very prominent in todays culture, and it is usually deemed okay by people. So, I think Flynn took a big risk which is awesome. It just wasnt done in a way I could appreciate. 

I really hate giving a 1 star to a debut author. Hopefully, she can come back with something awesome in the future. Honestly, I might try her again... I mean I really did like the risk she took, so I want to see he grow in the future. Please? Maybe?

Stacking the Shelves {3}

A weekly meme to show off all of our new books. You can link up here at Tynga's Reviews

I finally got my last bookoutlet box. I didn't get lost after all! Other than that it has been a fairly quiet week. But, I did get tp meet Alexandra Bracken AND got my copy of Passenger signed!! I'm so excited! I just finished the book a couple days ago and LOVED it. Look for a review coming soon. Alexandra Bracken is super sweet in real life you guys, and I appreciate the book so much more. You could really tell that she did so much research and really cares about what she is writing. Pretty much, I adore her. If you ever get the chance to meet her, take it. She's a lot of fun to hear talk.

Anyways, in my final bookoutlet box I had:
  
  

The Selection Series: I read this a while ago and they were okay. Not my favorite, not my least favorites. I have cover lust though so I bought them. I'm pathetic like that.
How to Love: I've been wanting to read this one for awhile. It looks pretty cute.
The Georgraphy of You and Me: I'm slowly collecting all of Jennifer E Smith's books. I'm saving them for when I'm in the mood for fluffy romance.
I'll Give You the Sun: Another book I've wanted t read for a long time. I'm super excited to have this one!

This week I bought:
 

Truthwitch: I'm so so so excited to read this one! I'll get to it as soon as I can!
To All the Boys I've Loved Before: I just started this one this morning. I've heard amazing things about it, so I can't wait to read it.

ARC's for review:


What We Find: I loved Robyn Carr's Virgin River Series, but didn't really get into her Thunderpoint Series. I'm excited to read the first in her new Sullivan's Crossing Series. Carr is amazing at small town romances. She really makes it so that you know every single person in town and feel as if you live there as well. I'll probably get to this one sometime this week.