Stay by Deb Caletti

Summary Provided by Goodreads:

Clara's relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it's almost too late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is—and what he's willing to do to make her stay.
Now Clara has left the city—and Christian—behind. No one back home has any idea where she is, but she still struggles to shake off her fear. She knows Christian won't let her go that easily, and that no matter how far she runs, it may not be far enough....

My Thoughts:

Stay is my first experience with a Deb Caletti book and I have to say that I was not disappointed. Stay is about a girl named, Clara who, with her dad, Bobby, has to leave town to get away from Christian, the crazy and jealous ex-boyfriend. Christian is the kind of boy who acts sweet and polite until he sees her talking to another boy, even if that boy is her friend. He puts her down, and he puts himself down. He loves her so much and is  so afraid to lose her, that he would do anything to keep her. Yeah Christian, real smart, act psychotic, that will get her to stay (ha! Stay!). Clara and Bobby rent a house on the beach for the summer and try to move on from what happened and at the same time, both learn to move on. Clara begins a friendship/relationship with a local boy named Finn, while her dad tries to work out things from his past.

I really liked the characters, especially Clara. I liked that she was still open to finding the right guy for her. I liked that she was able to be comfortable around Finn and open up to him. I was also proud that she was able to break up with Christian, no matter what he said or did to her to try to get her to stay with him. She had a confidence about her that I admired. Even the secondary characters including, Sylvie Genovese and Annabelle Aurora brought so much dimension to the story.

Stay is told in the present tense and in flashbacks. We get to see how the relationship between Clara and Christian and began, and how it turned into a nightmare for Clara. There were also footnotes were Clara added little facts or extra information that I really enjoyed reading. It made the story, and Clara so much more real for me.

This story is about a lot more then just moving on from an abusive relationship. It’s about acceptance and forgiveness, not just for other people, but for your self as well. Stay is a beautiful story that was wonderfully written. I am looking forward to reading some of Caletti’s other work and excited to see what she comes up with next.

Waiting on Wednesday (5)

 

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

September 29, 2011

In this companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss, two teens discover that true love may be closer than they think

For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous, the outfit - more sparkly, more fun, more wild - the better. But even though Lola's style is outrageous, she's a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.

When the family returns and Cricket - a gifted inventor and engineer - steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Teaser Tuesday!

I haven't done one of these in a while...

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given
• Please avoid spoilers!

I am currently reading Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

 

Here is my teaser! Hope you enjoy it :)

"But it was gone. Just another crazy trick of my imagination, I figured, as I turned back toward the rocks and started running. Or was something there, waiting for me?" (pg. 157)

I'm really enjoying Tempest Rising so far! I can't wait to find out what happens. Also, I really love the cover!

Anathema by Megg Jensen

Summary Provided by Goodreads:

Forget prophecy. Make your own destiny.

Sheltered from the outside world with no hope for escape, slave girl Reychel dreads her fifteenth birthday - when her master’s symbol is burned on the back of her bald scalp. Her best friend disappears the night before, leaving her to face the branding ceremony alone. She soon discovers nothing is as it seems when people desperate for freedom beg for Reychel's help.

Can Reychel learn to believe in herself?

My Thoughts:
I was really excited when I got this book from the author, Megg Jensen to review. Well, actually I asked her to review it because I really wanted to read it! I had read the summary on goodreads and thought it sounded very interesting. This book did not disappoint! I was captivated from page one, and it only got better and better.  

The heroine, Reychel has been a slave her entire life. On her 15^th birthday she will be branded with a fox on her neck, her master’s symbol. This means she will always belong to him. Before the branding “ceremony” can take place, Reychel is able to escape with the help of some invisible, magical people which will eventually become her friends. Free for the first time in her life, Reychel begins to learn who she truly is and secrets of her past are revealed.

What I liked most about Anathema was how everything flowed perfectly. No plot points were dragged on for eternity, but at the same time, nothing was said to quickly (did that even make sense??). There were so many questions of mine that were answered, but there is still enough for a second book to take place. I think what I am trying to say is that nothing was forced onto the reader, everything was told to us at the appropriate times.

The characters were also very well written. I loved Reychel. After everything she had been through, she was still trusting, honest, and brave. Then there is Mark, the hero and love interest to Reychel. There is more to him then meets the eye, and I can’t wait to see him again and hopefully, learn more about him! 

Anathema is a great read, especially for fantasy lovers! It might seem like a short novel, but even at only 160 pages (nook pages), there was still an entire world that was to be discovered. I hope in Oubliette (the second one in the series-due out June 20^th) we get to learn more about the Malborns, and why they were able to rise to power.

On a side note, Jensen writes in the acknowledgments about how her daughter gave her the idea for this book, which I thought was very cute!

What Happened To Goodbye By Sarah Dessen

Summary Provided by Goodreads:

In the past two years, Mclean Sweet has moved four times. At each stop, she assumes a new persona, but it never quite works. Whether she's an effervescent cheerleader or an intense drama queen, nothing can permanently dispel the turmoil and rage at her mother since her parents' divorce. Sarah Dessen's novel about a teenager and her restaurant manager father captures the vulnerability that young people often experience after the dissolution of their family. A compelling story; strong characterization; and with a touch of romance.

My Thoughts:
I have a love/hate relationship with Sarah Dessen books. They always seem so interesting and then when I finish them I realize again what I don’t like about her books. The last one I read from her, Along for the Ride, I absolutely loved so I thought I would love this one too. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either.

I always end up loving the male characters more then the female ones in Dessen’s book. She always writes the guys as mature and knowledgeable beyond their years, while the girls are whiney bitches. This one was no exception. Dave was fun, smart, cute, and sweet. I really enjoyed his character. Mclean on the other hand I felt was dramatic, whiney and overall just annoying. The other secondary characters I really liked, especially Mclean’s dad and her new friend, Deb (Actually I loved Deb-she brought a lot to the story!).

I thought the story was cute. Mclean moves around with her dad because of his job. At every school she tweaks her name, Mclean Elizabeth, and changes it to Liz, Eliza, Beth, ect. She also changes her interests. When she has to move she just leaves without ever saying goodbye to her new friends, causing the guy she was seeing at the last place she lived to post on her UMe wall, “What happened to goodbye?”

I really enjoyed the ending. I love how everything came together for everyone. I love a story that ends with all the characters in a good place.

Guantanamo Boy by Anna Perera

Summary Provided by Goodreads:

Khalid, a 15-year-old Muslim boy from Rochdale, is abducted from Pakistan while on holiday with his family. He is taken to Guantanamo Bay and held without charge. An innocent denied his freedom at a time when Western boys are finding theirs, Khalid tries and fails to understand what's happening to him and cannot fail to be a changed young man.

My Thoughts:
Khalid is a normal Muslim, English boy who likes to hang out with his friends, annoy his younger siblings and play video games. When vacationing in Pakistan with his family, he is kidnapped and jailed because apparently he is a suspected terrorist. He is tortured, starved and interrogated for two years. Time and again he tells the guards that he is not a terrorist but they do not believe him. While being water boarded, he confesses to what they believe about him, just to make the torture stop.

Guantanamo Boy is a gripping read. Taken away from his family for no reason other then he is Muslim makes this story a powerful read. What Khalid went through is a true story for many boys and something that I had no idea even occurred. Hundreds of young boys, some as young as twelve, were suspected of being terrorists and tortured for information. This story really makes you think about what is right and what is wrong regarding prisoners.

As a social studies teacher, this is an excellent book to have in my classroom and I think it would be very interesting and informational to create a project based on it. The students would be around the same age as Khalid so they would really be able to understand and identify with the emotions that Khalid went through.

Overall, Guantanamo Boy is a story that needs to be told and it is definitely a story that needs to be read. Even with the horrible subject matter of the novel, it will leave you with feelings of hope and forgiveness!

Between by Cyndi Tefft

Summary Provided by Goodreads:

It just figures that the love of Lindsey Water's life isn't alive at all, but the grim reaper, complete with a dimpled smile and Scottish accent.

After transporting souls to heaven for the last 300 years, Aiden MacRae has all but given up on finding the one whose love will redeem him and allow him entry through the pearly gates.

Torn between her growing attraction to Aiden and heaven's siren song, Lindsey must learn the hard way whether love really can transcend all boundaries.

My Thoughts:
Between begins with Lindsey and her somewhat boyfriend, Ravi getting into a horrible car accident, leaving Lindsey seriously injured. When Aiden MacRae comes to her side, he explains that he there to help Lindsey get to heaven, and the two of them leave the scene of the accident.

Aiden died in the 1700’s and was refused entry into heaven. Instead he was told that he will be stuck between heaven and earth and he will transport souls to heaven until he meets the one that will redeem him and allow him entry into the pearly gates.

Before Lindsey makes the final trip to heaven, she and Aiden spend time together, reliving memories from both of their lives, him at The Palace of Versailles and her in the present day. I really enjoyed the parts where Lindsey was trying to explain to Aiden about technology. Aiden was adorable trying to learn how to use a camera.

One day, Lindsey begins to disappear right in front of Aiden’s eyes. The doctors at the hospital have been working on her, and she finally woke up. Lindsey doesn’t remember at first, but slowly her memories of Aiden come back to her. She loved Aiden, and would do anything to be able to see him again.

I absolutely loved the ending! I definitely was not expecting it and I wonder where Cyndi Teff is going to take this story.

My only issue with Between was I felt the relationship between Aiden and Lindsey was rushed. They just met, and a few days later they claim to be married and madly in love. Don’t get me wrong, I thought the two of them were so cute together, especially with a Scottish man that still speaks in 1700’s twang, but I just didn’t feel it was realistic enough, even for a supernatural kind of story.

Overall, a wonderful and original story and I am glad to be a part of the blog tour! I can’t wait to read the second book, Hell Transporter.