Review: The Girl in the Park

The Girl in the Park

By: Mariah Fredericks

Pages: 224

Release Date: April 24, 2012

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Source: ARC received from Publisher ( Thank you)

Goodreads Synopsis:

When Wendy Geller's body is found in Central Park after the night of a rager, newspaper headlines scream,"Death in the Park: Party Girl Found Strangled." But shy Rain, once Wendy's best friend, knows there was more to Wendy than just "party girl." As she struggles to separate the friend she knew from the tangle of gossip and headlines, Rain becomes determined to discover the truth about the murder. Written in a voice at once immediate, riveting, and utterly convincing, Mariah Frederick's mystery brilliantly exposes the cracks in this exclusive New York City world and the teenagers that move within it. -Goodreads-

My Thoughts:

I am not going to lie.... the cover of the book gives me chills.  The book sat on my bookshelf for a really long time because I could not get past the cover.  Many of you know that I am a sucker for covers.  Sometimes, when I see a cover that just doesn't spark my interest I will by pass it and not even give it a chance.  I know that I should not do this.  You know, "never judge a book by its cover...blah blah blah..."  But I can't get past them.  :(  And this book was a victim to this very reason.  And I should have listened to all of you that told me in the past hey....don't judge a book by its cover.....

This book was beyond good.  I started writing this review about a week and half ago but I could not find the words to express this story. The story is more then a few hundred pages in between two covers.  It is a heart felt story that makes you appreciate every single one of your friends.  It makes you want to reach out to those long lost friends that have drifted away and try to make your friendship work because you don't know when you will be able to talk to them again.  I personally have never read a book that made me feel that way before.  It definitely makes you think, what would you say if you never saw that friend again??? 

Rain has this one friend who is always there.  She has been friends with her since forever and they are drifting apart.  But she is trying her hardest to still be friends with her.  See she doesn't always understand the decisions that she has made.  But sometimes you just have to just be there for moral support.  Well when they go to party with their classmates, Rain leaves Wendy at the party because Wendy claimed she was fine.  Well now it is the next day and Wendy's body was found in Central Park.....dead.  I don't know how I would ever recover from this.  It would take a really strong person, and I just don't know if I am that strong.  

This book showed how such a young girl takes the heartache and how she tries to deal with it.  It was more then a page turner.  It made you want more.  It made you want everything to be okay for Rain, for her to be in peace with what happened. The author did something that not many author can do.  She made you feel sorry for the characters.  Mariah did an amazing job!  I will read anything that she ever writes because she is truly a great author! And  I could not believe when I heard that the author got the inspiration for this book by seeing a news story about an actual girl being found in Central Park.  That is just heart breaking.  

My Rating: 

I am giving this book 5 out 5 stars!

Tune in Tuesday {41}

 

It is Tuesday already?  Where has this weekend gone?  I hope tomorrow is going to be as epic as this weekend has been....

So, as I was trying to figure out what song to use for my Tune in Tuesday I had to think really hard about what books I have read lately that I enjoyed.  

And here it is....

:)

Enjoy!

This past weekend I went to a pretty epic Bachelorette party and this was the theme song for the night! 

TGIF at GReads! {15}

Hello everyone! I can not believe that it is already Friday!!  I love Friday's!  And today I am leaving for Indianapolis for a  bachelorette party for one of my best friends in the world! I can not wait! But that is not we are here for.  :)

Friday, May 25th - Show Me Your Cover: What are some of the worst book covers, but hold some of the best stories inside? Don't be embarrassed, show us your cover!

I am a sucker for the cover of the book!  I will judge a book by its cover until the day that I die...This is just something that I do.  I can't change it, because it is me!  :)  But there is one book that came to mind when I read this question.

I loved this book! It was a great read and it kept me wanting more.  If you haven't read this book, you need to!  You can check out my review HERE!!

The things I do not like about this cover...

It does not do justice for the book.  I received the book from Simon and Schuster.  And I have to admit, I would have never picked up this book in the bookstore because of the cover.  About a week or so ago the author tweeted that they are changing the cover for the paperback!!!  And oh my god I think it is so much better then the first cover!

 

Holy covers Batman!  I think this cover is so much better!  I love everything about it!  This cover makes me want to read this book all over again...

Actually this TGIF makes me want to read this book all over again!

You can check out Eileen's blog and her post about the new cover HERE!

Review: Reunited

Reunited

By: Hilary Weisman Graham

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Pages: 336

Release Date: June 12, 2012

Source: ARC received from publisher 

Goodreads Synopsis: 

1 Concert

2000 Miles

3 Ex-Best Friends

Alice, Summer, and Tiernan are ex-best friends.

Back in middle school, the three girls were inseparable. They were also the number one fans of the rock band Level3.

But when the band broke up, so did their friendship. Summer ran with the popular crowd, Tiernan was a rebellious wild-child, and Alice spent high school with her nose buried in books.

Now, just as the girls are about to graduate, Level3 announces a one-time-only reunion show.

Even though the concert’s 2000 miles away, Alice buys three tickets on impulse. And as it turns out, Summer and Tiernan have their own reasons for wanting to get out of town. Good thing Alice’s graduation gift (a pea-green 1976 VW camper van known as the Pea Pod) is just the vehicle to get them there.

But on the long drive cross-country, the girls hit more than a few bumps in the road. Will their friendship get an encore or is the show really over? 

My Thoughts:

When I first heard about this book, I wanted to read it right here right now!  I seriously could not wait.  I mean come on,  a book about 3 ex-best friends that decide to go on a road trip to see their favorite childhood band.  This is golden!  And it really was.  This book was one of the best books that I have read in a while.  You really feel for the characters and what they are going through.  

You first meet Alice.  Alice is the good girl, the nerd, every parents dream!  And she wants to go on a road trip with her very best friend before they go off to college.  But he friend is on her way to China for the summer.  So when she finds out that Level3 is coming back for one night only, SHE HAS TO GO!  But who to go with?  How about her 2 ex-best friends that she has not talked to since freshman year of high school.  This is a disaster waiting to happen.  After days on the road and things going wrong left and right, their tickets get stolen! Now what???? How will they get to the concert?  Will they still talk to each other after this road trip? 

This book was better then I thought it was going to be.  I am a sucker for books about music.  If the book has music in it, I have to read it no matter what.  I love them!  I think they are some of the best books ever.  And this book is right there with all the other great music books.  If you want to read a book that keeps you on your toes and keeps you going and wanting more, then this book is for you! I am so happy that I was able to read this great story!

My Rating:

I am giving this book 5 out 5 stars!

Review: Unbreak my heart

Unbreak my heart

By: Melissa Walker

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Release Date: May 22, 2012

Pages: 240

Source:Netgalley (Thank you!)

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Sophomore year broke Clementine Williams’ heart. She fell for her best friend’s boyfriend and long story short: he’s excused, but Clem is vilified and she heads into summer with zero social life. Enter her parents’ plan to spend the summer on their sailboat. Normally the idea of being stuck on a tiny boat with her parents and little sister would make Clem break out in hives, but floating away sounds pretty good right now. Then she meets James at one of their first stops along the river. He and his dad are sailing for the summer and he’s just the distraction Clem needs. Can he break down Clem’s walls and heal her broken heart? Told in alternating chapters that chronicle the year that broke Clem’s heart and the summer that healed it, Unbreak My Heart is a wonderful dual love story that fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Susane Colasanti will flock to. -Goodreads-

My Thoughts:

I need to read more books that are set in the summer because the whole book always puts a smile on my face!  I love them so much that I just can not get enough of them.  And this book was no exception.  This book made me try to convince my husband that we need to buy a boat so when we have kids we can take them on adventures such as these.... true story, he told me no. :(

Clem is sixteen.  This is the time of her life were everything is falling into place!  She has great friends, a great social life, and a great family. She has it made.  But in her eyes she is about to ruin it all.  She does the unthinkable...she fell for her best friend's boyfriend.  I know that if this would happen to me, I would flip a lid.  But nothing happened between them, it just looked that way.  And now her and her best are not talking and she is supposed to embark on a adventure with her family sailing down the Mississippi River.  If you were a sixteen year old girl and you had this much drama in your life, a family vacation is not going to help it.  While on this vacation she meets James.  James is sailing with his dad on the same route.  It is meant to be.  But James and Clem are both hiding secrets about their lives. But everything is about to come out and thrown on the table.  How is James going handle Clem's secret and how is Clem going deal with James's secret?  

This book was AMAZING!  If I didn't have to go to work today, I would have stayed up all night reading this book.  If you love the Jenny Han books, the summer series, you will love this book.  It had everything that a pretty awesome book should have.  It had a summer romance, heartache, and drama.   Everything that is needs!!!  If you want a good read that keeps you wanting more, this book is defiantly for you!

My Rating: 

I am giving this book 5 out 5 stars! I wish I could give it more but its out of 5 stars....:(  But it truly should be 100 starts out of 5...

:) 

Glee song of the week {35}

TONIGHT'S SHOW IS 2 HOURS LONG!!!!

THAT IS ALL!!!

:)

Tune in Tuesday {40}

Hello everyone! It has been a crazy week! I have so much going in the next couple weeks!  So I am going to try to keep going with the blog but please understand that I am undergoing some family stuff and I may not be around some what...:)

Any who today is Tuesday and that means it is Tune in Tuesday!!!

This week I have been listening to this one song too much... I really don't know why....Maybe its because The Voice is not one anymore...hmmmm....Man I miss that show.

:)

Review: Hourglass

Hourglass

By: Myra McEntire

Publisher:  Egmont USA

Pages: 387

Release Date: June 14, 2011

Source: Borrowed from library.

Goodreads Synopsis: 

One hour to rewrite the past . . . 

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back. So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?  -Goodreads-

My Thoughts:

When I first heard about this book I really couldn't wait to read it.  Now that I read it I can see why so many have loved the story.  I could not get enough of the whole story.  I love Michael!  When I was first introduced to the character, I knew that he would be my favorite.  He was so mysterious but yet at the same time he is a great addition to the story.  I love stories that has a main character that you just do not know about.  A main character really grows with the story.  I think that what turns a good story into a great story.  

Emerson thinks that she is seeing things that aren't there.  Deep down she thinks she is kind of going crazy.  But she is not.  So they bring in Michael and he is going to try and help her.  But is she really there to help him....

I loved this book.   It was a truly great story!  It kept me on my toes and it is a great page turner.  I can not wait to start the next book, which I got from Netgalley!!! (Thank you!)  So look back in the coming days for that review!!!

My Rating: 

I am giving this book 4 out 5 stars!

Review: Red Heart Tattoo

Red Heart Tattoo

By: Lurlene McDaniel

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Pages: 224

Release Date: July 24th, 2012

Source: Received ARC from Publisher (Thank you!)

Goodreads Synopsis: 

At 7:45 a.m. on the day before Thanksgiving break, a bomb goes off at Edison High. Nine people die instantly. Fifteen are critically injured. Twenty-two suffer less severe injuries. And one is blinded. Those who survive, struggle to cope with the loss and destruction. All must find new meaning for their lives as a result of something they may never understand. -Goodreads-

My Thoughts:

When I was in High school, the young adult novels that were out for us to read were Lurlene McDaniel books.  And I loved them.  I know that I read all the ones available at my library.  They are just so heartfelt and close to home.  They make you think about how great your life is at this moment in time.  And this book is exactly what I remembered!   

You are in high school.  You are sitting waiting for school to start.  You are chatting with friends, catching up  on homework, and just hanging with friends.  But then the unthinkable happens....a bomb goes off and kills some, injures most, and blinds one.  What is going through your mind?  I don't know how I would be able to handle it.  Some of my friends, I consider family.  If any one of them gets hurt, it hits home.  So you can only imagine how Morgan feels when she finds out exactly what happens in her high school.  

I think that this story was one of my favorites from Lurlene.  She is such an talented author.  She knows how to explain how people feel in the time of tragedy.  She is an amazing author.  And this is an amazing story!  If you want to read a story that makes you keep turning the pages this book is defiantly the book that you will need!

My Rating:

I am giving this book 5 out 5 stars!  

Waiting on Wednesday {17}

This Wednesday, I am waiting for....

Oh my this book sounds so good!

Tune in Tuesday {39}

Hello friends!!! It is Tuesday!  And I am hoping this week flies by!

:)

My tune in Tuesday is:

I <3 this song!!!

I have to admit....I wasn't expecting the music video to be like this but oh well...

This song reminds me a lot Take a bow! I <3 that book!!!

:)

In My Mailbox {16}

Hello everyone!  I can not believe that it is Sunday already but this week is going to be pretty awesome!!!

This past week has been pretty good in the book world.  I received some pretty awesome books!  These are just some!

Shut Up: Anne Tibbets

Goodreads, Amazon

The Fairytale Keeper: Andrea Cefalo  

Goodreads, Amazon

The Dirt: Lori Culwell  

Goodreads, Amazon

Insurgent: Veronica Roth

Goodreads, Amazon

This past Friday I was lucky enough to go to Anderson's Bookshop is Naperville, IL and attend the Veronica Roth signing....  First I would like to tell you that when I go there, they had told me that they had sold over 300 tickets and that wasn't counting the people that would come in at the last minute and try to get a ticket.  I thought that we were never getting out of there.  But it actually went by really quickly.  I think Anderson's did a great job!  

As I was in line to meet the great Veronica Roth, I thought to myself...."I wonder if she will sign my favorite page?"......

This made my day more then you would know!  :)

I had a pretty great mailbox week...

What is in your mailbox?

Glee Song of the Week {34}

Hello friends!  It is Tuesday!  And that means that GLEE IS ON TONIGHT!!! :D

I <3 Glee!!!

Last week was kind of epic!

And now... for this week!

OH MY GOD IS IT GETTING GOOD!!!

Well Happy Glee Day!!!!!

Tune in Tuesday {38}

HELLO!!!  TODAY IS SUCH A GREAT DAY!!!  It is Tuesday and that means that this week is underway...:)  But that is not all

IT IS MAY 1ST!!!!  And that means the following..

~ It's Tune in Tuesday!

~It's Glee Day!

~It's INSURGENT DAY!!!!

I have been waiting a really long time for this book to come out and I can not believe it is actually here!!! YAY!!!

You can actually read my review HERE! 

But back to the first thing on the list for today!

ITS TUNE IN TUESDAY! :)  I think Tuesdays are my favorite day of the week....I really do...

This month you are supposed to open your music playlist and show some of the songs that you are listening too...

I have been listening to a lot of songs lately.

Here are just some of the many!

Those are just some of the awesome songs that have kept me going this past week....:)

What is on your playlist???