Review: The Lies About Truth by Courtney C. Stevens

The Lies About Truth by Courtney C. Stevens
Publisher: Harper Teen 
Publication Date: November 3rd 2015
My rating: 3 stars 

Sadie Kingston, is a girl living in the aftermath. A year after surviving a car accident that killed her friend Trent and left her body and face scarred, she can’t move forward. The only person who seems to understand her is Trent’s brother, Max. As Sadie begins to fall for Max, she's unsure if she is truly healed enough to be with him — even if Max is able to look at her scars and not shy away. But when the truth about the accident and subsequent events comes to light, Sadie has to decide if she can embrace the future or if she'll always be trapped in the past.

The Lies About Truth was a story I was really looking forward to after devouring Faking Normal last year. Stevens just has a way of weaving such a beautiful story that you find yourself thinking about it days afterwards. And that was exactly what happened with The Lies About Truth. Four friends found themselves in the most difficult situation after a horrific accident. And nearly a year later, Sadie, Max, Gray and Gina aren’t any closer to forgiveness, listening to one another, or finding the beautiful friendship that existed amongst them. It was sad to see just how separated people could become after one life changing event and how one said event could change things dramatically.

I loved the story that Stevens gave us in The Lies About Truth, there was so much to think about when it came to what happened and what turned everything upside down. That I appreciated Stevens giving us the story in smaller chunks, it was an awful lot to deal with in one go and so made the heartache to deal with that much more bearable. If I had to go through with what Sadie had been going through the past year I honestly wouldn’t know how I would cope. She had so much to deal with and then that little incident that took place afterwards brought things crashing down even more. She lost her faith and confidence in herself, and best friends that were meant to help her through this difficult time. But I’m glad to say that Sadie was able to find a friend in the least expected of places. Sadie knew Max as Trent’s younger brother and although she hadn’t been that close to him before. He was everything that she needed; he was caring, considerate, gave her the space to think things through, but most of all helped to slowly build her confidence back. It was a really tough journey for all of the characters to go through, and one that I knew that would take time for the scars and hurt to heal. But I sort of assumed that they had already been through so much, so I didn’t really expect the later revelations to be thrown in my face (highlight to view spoiler) the way we were given this story I’d assumed that Trent had loved Sadie more than a friend, I had never had guessed he was gay. 

Despite experiencing one of the toughest years in their life, I loved the way Stevens brought their story to a close, it really was the best way to the end their journey: through forgiveness and closure. The Lies About Truth really was a tough read at times, it was horrible when Sadie would recall a happy memory, but had such a difficult time dealing with it, as she was pretty much still going through the grieving process. But The Lies About Truth isn’t all about heartache and sadness, Stevens throws in neat little scenes which bring about rays of sunshine and make you believe there is hope and that things will get better. 

Review: The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett

Hello there!  It's been a long time, but I'm back!  This is my first post in about three months and while I've missed everyone I've enjoyed and needed the time off. I hope everyone has been well!

The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication date: November 3rd 2015
My rating: 4.5 stars 
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository 

Artist Beatrix Adams knows exactly how she's spending the summer before her senior year. Determined to follow in Leonardo da Vinci’s footsteps, she's ready to tackle the one thing that will give her an advantage in a museum-sponsored scholarship contest: drawing actual cadavers. But when she tries to sneak her way into the hospital’s Willed Body program and misses the last metro train home, she meets a boy who turns her summer plans upside down.

Jack is charming, wildly attractive . . . and possibly one of San Francisco’s most notorious graffiti artists. On midnight buses and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who Jack really is—and tries to uncover what he’s hiding that leaves him so wounded. But will these secrets come back to haunt him? Or will the skeletons in Beatrix’s own family’s closet tear them apart? 

My Thoughts:

If you’re looking for a swoony young adult romance The Anatomical Shape of a Heart is the book for you! 

Beatrix, “Bex” Adams wants to be a medical illustrator, a highly competitive field, and is trying to win scholarship money to aid that future. After trying to get a seat in the Willed Bodies program of her local hospital she misses the train home and must take the late Owl bus where she meets Jack.  Their chemistry is immediate and mutual:

His gaze lifted and met mine. We stared at each other.

And stared.

And stared…

A strange heat sparked inside my chest and spread over my skin.—I didn’t know what was happening between us, but I honestly wouldn’t have been surprised if the Owl had burst into flames, veered off the road, and exploded in a fiery inferno.

But on their journey, Bex figures out Jack is an infamous graffiti artist. Does she want to get involved with trouble?  The pull to him is undeniable and they end up crossing paths and hearts, navigating first love and family drama along the way. 

I enjoyed the fact that Bex was comfortable in her own skin being a sort of “misfit” but okay with that.  I admired that she was a hardworking teenager since her father left and the family’s funds were stretched, but didn’t wallow in self-pity. Her father was supremely selfish for leaving, and my heart broke for them.  I felt for Bex’s mother, Katherine, and I thought she tried to do right by her kids for the most part, but I was very disappointed with her over one issue, but no one is perfect, and feelings of rejection can short circuit good thinking sometimes. 

Jack, the graffiti artist/beautiful boy, had his share of family issues, but he was a complete sweetheart!  The unraveling of his secrets and slow progression of Jack and Bex’s romance kept me glued to the pages.

I just visited San Francisco over the summer, and while reading I felt like I was transported back there all over again with its cool, foggy weather, trendy restaurants, old Victorian townhomes, and unique energy! The city came alive through Jenn Bennett’s writing.  Visit her Pinterest board to get some of the imagery and more of a feel for the story.

It’s been a while since I read a young adult romance. I actually don’t read many young adult stories anymore, but I’m a huge fan of Jenn Bennett so I knew I had to read The Anatomical Shape of a Heart.  Ms. Bennett nails the ups and downs of youth and real life, mixing it with humor and charm making her story utterly captivating.  She captured the thrill and headiness of first love perfectly, which, of course, was my favorite part! 

Connect with Jenn Bennett:

 Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

 

 

Monthly Recap: October

Hi everyone, so this month I decided to try something different with my monthly recap post, instead of focusing just on what is going on in my bookish life, I thought I'd share with what was happening with my life in general. 

What I've been up to.

So October ended up being a month of firsts for me, I finally went to my first garba (Hindu celebration which spans over nine days). I had been planning to go for ages, but just never got around to it, I was a bit nervous at first, as I had no clue what to do, but my sister's friend and sister-in-law were great in keeping us with everyone. I finally ate at Handmade Burger, we have this massive food area in the shopping centre where I live, but I'm one of those people that just tend to eat at the places I know well. So I finally decided to venture out and eat at this place I had heard so many great things about, the food was delicious, I had a Cajun Vegetable & Bean burger with peri peri chips, by the end I was completely stuffed, but would certainly consider visiting again. I also tried my first bubble tea, I know I'm so behind on things, but once again I had definitely been missing out.

Handmade Burger.

I also went to watch Legend with my sister and cousin. To be honest I had no clue what I was going to watch, I didn't watch no trailer either, but being a big fan of Tom Hardy, I knew his acting wouldn't disappoint. And I can I just say he did an absolutely incredible job, the way he played both Reggie and Ronnie Kray, I had a hard time believing he was the same guy. I was totally effected afterwards by the film too, movies based on real life experiences tend to do this to me, where I become obsessed with the people and their real lives and I sit there researching their lives for days after. Legend wasn't typically the film I'd usually watch, but it certainly ended up being one of the most memorable ones I'd seen this year. 

I finally started How to Get Away with Murder, I about died when I found out Netflix had it up, basically this was my reaction. 

I've basically had early morning starts like every single day, but the way each episode ends, on the worst ever cliffhanger, (see reaction below). I've been watching like two, three episodes a night, with the way Scandal was going lately, a bit downhill, I needed something that would completely wow me and How to Get Away with Murder does completely that. Does anyone else watch this show? I've been dying to discuss this with anyone this week (I've nearly finished with Season 1). 

Music I've been listening to.

Hotline Bling by Drake was massive when I went to Canada, I absolutely fell in love with it, but the video I'm not really a fan of. 

I'm not typically a fan of Justin Bieber either, but I can't get enough of What Do You Mean. Again it was a song I first heard in Canada and I seem to be hearing it everywhere lately. It's even become one of my gym songs! 

Reading

So reading-wise I did get a lot more books read this month (a total of 8 books),  but I did have to reduce my Goodreads reading challenge from 150 to 100, now I'm only four books behind and don't feel the pressure that much to read. I'm also actually still just reading what I feel like and so far it's still working for me. 

Books reviewed (Click on book for review)

Three Books I'm looking forward to next month. 

(Click on book for Goodreads link)

Tonight the Streets are Ours is actually our group read for November, and although the reviews have been a mixed bunch so far, I am really looking forward to giving it a go. I have heard amazing things about Who Do You Love, bloggers posting about it on Instagram were the ones who actually got me interested in the book in the first place and of course I'm a huge fan of second chance romances. I've only read one book by Hoover and although it didn't work out for me, I'm super excited about the release of November 9, did you read the last line of the blurb, like seriously what is even happening?

So that was hectic October for me. But it looks like November will be an excellent month too. I have the Illumicrate subscription box to look forward to. With so many bookish subscription boxes around, I was hoping that there would be one that I could be part of and wouldn't cost an arm and leg for shipping fees. Daphne has been teasing us with what we have to look forward to and I can't wait for my box to arrive. There's also my birthday, I'll be spending the day with friends in Winter Wonderland,  where they'll have a skating rink and Christmas markets, I loved the one I went to in Hyde Park a few years ago, so I'm extremely looking forward to this. I get to see Allie's face and spend the day at Warner Bros. studio tour for Harry Potter. And all the Christmas drinks, I'm actually attending a Costa Coffee Club this week, where I get to have an exclusive preview of their Christmas menu!

I hope you all have a fabulous November! 

Mini-reviews: A lot Like Love and About That Night by Julie James

A lot Like Love (FBI/US Attorney #2) by Julie James
Publisher: March 1st 2011
Publication Date: Penguin 

The FBI wants her cooperation... As the daughter of a billionaire and the owner of the city's top wine store, Jordan Rhodes is invited to the most exclusive parties in Chicago. But there's only one party the FBI wants to crash: the charity fundraiser of a famous restaurateur, who also happens to launder money for the mob. In exchange for her brother's release from prison, Jordan is going to be there—with a date supplied by the Bureau. Agent McCall just wants her... As the top undercover agent in Chicago, Nick McCall has one rule: never get personal. This "date" with Jordan Rhodes is merely an assignment—one they're both determined to pull off even if they can't be together for five minutes before the sarcasm and sparks begin to fly. But when Nick's investigation is compromised, he and Jordan have no choice but to pretend they're a couple, and what starts out as a simple assignment begins to feel a lot like something more.

I love reading books where two characters are forced into a situation; these characters don’t normally end up liking each other from first appearances. But the situation gives them no other choice but to spend more time with one another. And what had started off as tense feelings for each other soon develops into feelings under the surface that neither character realised existed. Julie James does a fantastic job with this and this is one the main reasons that I’m able to gobble up her reads. Plus her books I always tend to pick up when I’m always chocker blocked with things to do, so I love being able to squeeze in parts of fun, banter and sexy times in my busy little schedule.

Nick and Jordan are forced to be boyfriend and girlfriend as part as an undercover FBI operation. Nick was roped in at the last minute, but Nick being one of the best agents around is quick to adjust to his new character. Jordan of course will finally be able to see her brother a free man after the US Attorney made an example of his shutting down of Twitter for two days. The development of Nick and Jordan’s relationship was a lot of fun to watch. Nick and Jordan were so similar to one another with their sarcastic personalities and how they always pushed their loved ones before their own needs, that I sort of wished they’d realised their feelings a lot more sooner, because when they did finally get together, gosh  *fans self* they were the perfect fit. But the sweet, yet tense build up and “don’t fuck with me face” that we got from Nick I hugely appreciated.

Despite Nick and Jordan risking a lot by their fake relationship, A Lot Like Love for the main part wasn’t all fun with dire and tense scenes. Nick and Jordan were really funny characters, I loved how they both tried to make light of situations and their charming tendencies were quick to bring a smile to my face. Despite A Lot Like Love being predictable in some aspects (I totally knew how things would end) I really didn’t care. A Lot Like Love was exactly the sort of book I was in the mood for; it had witty, but also very sexy characters and was perfect to curl up with on a miserable day.

About That Night (FBI/US Attorney #3) by Julie James
Publisher: April 1st 2012
Publication Date: Berkley Sensation.  

He's Playing Games Though Rylann Pierce tried to fight the sparks she felt for billionaire heir Kyle Rhodes the night they met, their sizzling chemistry was undeniable. But after being stood up on their first date, Rylann never expected to see him again. So when she finds herself face-to-face with Kyle in a courthouse nine years later, she's stunned. More troubling to the beautiful assistant U.S. attorney is that she's still wildly attracted to him. But She's Making The Rules Just released from prison, Kyle Rhodes isn't thrilled to be the star witness in a high-profile criminal case—but when Rylann comes knocking at his door, he finds she may be the one lawyer he can't say no to. Still as gorgeous and sharp-tongued as ever, she lays down the law: she doesn't mix business with pleasure. But Kyle won't give up on something he wants—and what he wants is the one woman he's never forgotten.

I have quickly become a fan of these set of characters and their stories that James has given us in the FBI/US Attorney series. I love how James introduces a new set of characters in each book, but also manages to link the characters back to the characters that we’ve previously come to know and adore. When our couple finally get together there’s always this risk that being caught won’t always be in their favour. In About That Night Rylann is the U.S. attorney’s assistant and Kyle is known as the Twitter terrorist. The former U.S. Attorney decided to make an example of his case and give him maximum punishment for shutting down Twitter for two days. So you could see why a relationship between Kyle and Rylann wouldn’t be in either of their best interests. But you just know when you want to be with the other person regardless? And when you find yourself continuously pulled towards each other? This was Rylann and Kyle.

What I loved most about Kyle and Rylann’s relationship was that it was one of those missed chance relationships, where due to unfortunate circumstances Kyle and Rylann couldn’t get together in the first place, but that strong chemistry was still there between them 9 years later when their paths crossed ways once more. I appreciated despite their ups and downs in their life and their various relationships; they still had that longing for something more.

Once again James was a pro at bringing the sweet and sexy scenes, and truly making the relationship between Rylann and Kyle a realistic one. My only one complaint is that the minor misunderstandings that creep in towards the end; characters misreading signs and totally making wrong decisions. I always find that our characters have already been through so much that why can’t they just be together already? This blip aside, About That Night was exactly the sexy fun read I was expecting it to be.

Waiting on Wednesday: #29. With Malice by Eileen Cook

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm eagerly waiting on... 

With Malice by Eileen Cook 

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: 7th June 2016

For fans of We Were Liars and The Girl on the Train comes a chilling, addictive, compulsive read about a teenage girl who wakes up in a hospital bed and cannot remember the last six weeks of her life, including the accident that killed her best friend--only what if the accident wasn't an accident? Eighteen-year-old Jill Charron wakes up in a hospital room, leg in a cast, stitches in her face and a big blank canvas where the last 6 weeks should be. She comes to discover she was involved in a fatal accident while on a school trip in Italy three days previous but was jetted home by her affluent father in order to receive quality care. Care that includes a lawyer. And a press team. Because maybe the accident...wasn't an accident. Wondering not just what happened but what she did, Jill tries to piece together the events of the past six weeks before she loses her thin hold on her once-perfect life.

I don't normally go for books which draw comparisons to other books and the fact that this book mentions We Were Liars and The Girl on the Train, two books which really didn't work out for me, you would think that I wouldn't find this book appealing at all, but this couldn't be more further than the truth. Eileen Cook won me over completely with her book Unravelling Isobel four years ago, it had the right amount of creepiness to keep me thoroughly entertained. Also I do love my books which deal with memory loss, more so when they're done well. and I have a feeling that this book will keeping me guessing until the very last page. I just wish the wait for this book didn't have to be so long!

So what are you waiting on this Wednesday? I've really missed out on adding to my tbr pile, so look forward to discovering new reads!