In My Mailbox

Sarah Mail!

Small week for mail but it was a good book week nonetheless.

For review:
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (March 2011, thanks Penguin!) This book is really, really up my reading alley. Set in 1941 in Russia, it promises to be a harrowing story.

Bought:
Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales (I've heard only excellent things about this book.)
Midnight Kiss by Robyn Carr, Jean Brashear and Victoria Dahl (one of my fave contemporary romance writers!)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren with kudos to Pop Culture Junkie.

What did you get this week??

Review: The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

If you regularly visit my blog, you may know that I am a big romance reader outside of my love for all things YA. I tend not to share too much about my romance reading habits on this blog but when I do, it's mostly because I read a book that is absolutely amazing and stunning. The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook is just that. Set in a steampunk world filled with pirates, nanoagents, airships and more, The Iron Duke will knock the proverbial romance socks off and hopefully impress you enough to want to try more romance books.

England is finally free of the controlling Horde who ruled with immense power and total control. They dominated the England and Europe until finally, Rhys Trahaearn broke their control by knocking down the tower that controlled the nanoagent frequency. England was free and Rhys was a hero. He was awarded the title of The Iron Duke and he is now a legend in England, for reasons other than his pirate background.

Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth knows the Horde may no longer rule England, but that does not mean she can escape from their cruelty and hate. Mina's mother was a victim of a Frenzy, raped and brutalized by the Horde. Mina is the result of that and with her Horde (think Mongolian/Asian) appearance, she is ridiculed, spit on and called terrible names every day of her life.

But Mina has a job to do and when a body lands on the doorstep of the Iron Duke's house, she steps in to figure out who the man was and why he was murdered. Rhys has his own brand of justice in mind and he will get to the bottom of this through any means possible, whether that is legal or not. However, one look at Mina and Rhys wants something else altogether. He wants her. He wants to possess her. Let me tell you, when Rhys takes off the long glove Mina was wearing at a ball, the heat is intense! Meljean Brook made this simple act sensuous as hell.

She pulled her hand away at the same time Trahaearn gripped the satin fingertips. He tugged. Satin slid in a warm caress over her elbow, her forearm.


Flames lit her cheeks. "Sir--"


His expression changed as he continued to pull. First registering surprise, as if he hadn't realized the glove extended past her wrist. Then an emotion hard and shartp as the long glove slowly gave way. Its white length finally dangled from his fingers, and to Mina seemed as intimate as if he held her stocking.


Her sleeve still covered her arm, but she felt exposed. Stripped. With as much dignity as she could, Mina claimed the glove.


"Thank you. I can manage the other." She stuffed the glove into her pocket. With her bare fingers, she made quick work of the buttons at her left wrist.


Mina looked up to find him staring at her. His cheekbones blazed with color, his gaze hot.


She'd seen lust before. This marked the first time that she hadn't seen any disgust or hatred beneath it.


"Thank you," she said again, amazed by the evenness of her voice when everything inside her trembled.

Mina will never be a man's possession however and as she enters into an uneasy alliance with Rhys to figure out who is behind the murder, they encounter zombies, pirates, evil weapons, and danger on every page. But these are two very adventurous and intelligent characters and the story plays out very well against a backdrop of passion and tension. The mystery is as strong as the romance and that can be a rare thing in romance books, steampunk or not. Fortunately, I was just as drawn into Rhys' past and trying to figure out how the dead man featured in his present as I was in seeing Rhys try to conquer Mina.

Mina is a terrific main character. She has immense love for her family but yet will not let many people close. She wants to do her job but she is hurt every day by the cruelty that is put upon her, all courtesy of the Horde. She only gains more strength as the story continues. At the same time, this is a character with immense vulnerabilities and who is facing hatred at every step of her life. That can be hard to overcome. And well, Rhys isn't exactly a charmer at first. His proposition to Mina is far from flattering and she tells him so, with no compunction for manners. This is a woman who does not believe she can have a normal future but she still yearns for that.

Likewise, Rhys is taciturn and just wants to settle into his life. He is not looking for a woman like Mina in his life at all but once he sees her he does not want to let her go. He faces many responsibilities throughout the course of the book that give insight into his character and past.

The worldbuilding in this book is terrific. My high standard of worldbuilding is JK Rowlings Harry Potter series and while The Iron Duke doesn't quite reach that level, I can fully say that I was immersed in this steampunk story. The setting came alive. Buggers versus Bounders; airships and zombies; and a New World that became a refuge for entirely different reasons. It is an immensely interesting world and I already cannot wait to revisit the world in the second book.

This is a different romance than I am used to reading. I tend to stick to contemporary and historical romances but I delved headfirst into this book because of the fantastic reviews it had received. When I received a free copy from Jane of Dear Author, I was ecstatic. I hope you'll take the time to read this book. It's a grand adventure ontop of a well-written and thoughtful love story.

Book received from Jane at DearAuthor.com.

In My Mailbox

Sarah Mail!

This week was a fantabulous week in books for me. I never get quite this lucky so I feel really blessed!

Contest Win:
Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst (via Princess Bookie)

For review:
Across the Universe by Beth Revis (!!! Can you kind of see the envelope beneath?? It was bright silver and all space agey)
Hush by Eishes Chayil
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life by someone, I'm not quite sure. Little, Brown Books sent it but I can't quite understand it. But according to this it may be written by James Patterson?

From my romance review sites:
Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts (2nd copy)
Inside Out by Lauren Dane
Rules of an Engagement by Suzanne Enoch
The Best of Friends by Susan Mallery
Ten Ways to Be Adored when Loving a Lord by Sarah Maclean

Bought: (but not pictured)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie because... he is at my library this weekend! And I want him to sign it. Here's a picture of Sherman and me from tonight's black tie ball event:

(Please excuse the rosy cheeks, even one small glass of red wine does that to me.)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren with kudos to Pop Culture Junkie.

Review: Princess Prettypants by Meg Cabot (in the Zombies vs. Unicorns anthology)

Meg Cabot is still, to this day, one of my favorite YA writers. She always makes me laugh and even though many of her stories have a sense of sameness to them from one book to the next, I actually enjoy going into the story and knowing what I'll get. Of course, sometimes she pushes her boundaries of creativity quite a bit (the Nikki series in particular) and then I'm always pleasantly surprised.


Meg Cabot's contribution to the Zombies vs. Unicorns anthology was the story I was most looking forward to. I mean, this is Meg Cabot! She is writing about UNICORNS, my childhood obsession. I was really hoping Meg Cabot would make Unicorns even more awesome than they already are, and you know what?? She totally does!

Liz has just turned seventeen and in addition to a new cellphone, she gets a unicorn from her eccentrict aunt. Liz is far from thrilled, that's for certain. She is seventeen after all, not five! Liz is already having a rather cruddy birthday and a unicorn who truly farts rainbows does not top her list of awesome. And the name... Princess Prettypants?? Get real!

And in Meg Cabot land, this means let the fun begin! With a name like Princess Prettypants you will not expect some of the wild antics that Liz and unicorn get up to but it's a wild and fun ride. Meg Cabot has written a slam dunk for this reader. It was a hilarious but also grounded in the disappointments birthdays can bring about. This was a purely fun story and I wish it was available as a standalone title because I'd buy it, hands down.

Talk about wish fulfillment to the extreme!

Still not sure if I'm going to read more in Zombies vs. Unicorns. I'm not a zombie fan and while I like unicorns, I was mostly reading for Meg Cabot. I've heard mixed results for the anthology as a whole and there are other stories I want to read more.

But... if you see this book at your local bookstore and library, stop and take 15 minutes to read Meg Cabot's story. Your childhood unicorn obsession may come back full force, and that's not a bad thing as Liz finds out.

Book reviewed from public library copy.

Other reviews:

Dear Author reviews Zombies vs. Unicorns

The Book Smugglers review Zombies vs. Unicorns

Dreams and Speculation reviews Zombies vs. Unicorns

Accomplished! 2010 Debut YA Author Challenge

I did it! I accomplished my goal of reading 15 debut YA authors in 2010. In fact, I ended up surpassing that goal! Huzzah!! Here is the official list of 2010 debut YA authors and their books I read:

1. The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg (1/2/10)
2. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain (1/7/10)
3.The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard (1/9/10)
4. Numbers by Rachel Ward (2/6/10)
5. All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab (2/18/10)
6. The Naughty List by Suzanne Young (2/20/10)
7. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (4/4/10)
8. The Mark by Jen Nadol (5/8/10)
9. The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea M. Campbell (5/14/10)
10. The Duff by Kody Keplinger (6/27/10)
11. Stork by Wendy Delsol (7/19/10)
12. Matched by Ally Condie (7/18/10)
13. Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick (8/6/10)
14. Plain Kate by Erin Bow (10/8/10)
15. Jane by April Lindner (10/5/10)
16. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (review pending) (10/9/10) 

Looking forward to participating in 2011. This was a great way for me to discover new authors and even branch out a bit from what I normally read.

Review: My Invented Life by Lauren Bjorkman

My Invented Life by Lauren Bjorkman is a book I didn't quite love but I didn't quite hate either. There are some good things in here and some things that really rubbed me the wrong way.

Synopsis:
With Roz and Eva everything becomes a contest—who can snag the best role in the school play, have the cutest boyfriend, pull off the craziest prank. Still, they’re as close as sisters can be. Until Eva deletes Roz from her life like so much junk e-mail for no reason that Roz understands. Now Eva hangs out with the annoyingly petite cheerleaders, and Roz fantasizes about slipping bovine growth hormone into their Gatorade.
Roz has a suspicion about Eva. In turn, Eva taunts Roz with a dare, which leads to an act of total insanity. Drama geeks clamor for attention, Shakespearean insults fly, and Roz steals the show in Lauren Bjorkman’s hilarious debut novel.

Roz knows her sister, Eva, has a secret and Roz thinks it is the fact that Eva is a lesbian. She just wishes her sister would confide in her. They used to be so close but now her sister will barely speak to her unless forced. Roz adores her sister so this has been a very hard thing for her to endure. But she has an idea how to fix the situation. She will pretend to be gay in order to help her sister open up to Roz. This is part of the book where I had a big issue with it, and it's not the author's fault, it's more my reaction to this plot point.

There have been numerous suicides lately of young men who were bullied because they were gay. To me, Roz pretending to be a lesbian just really, really is too glib and makes fun of these boys' deaths. Now, I know the author does not mean it this way. I'm sure of it. This book was actually published last year so I'm reacting to more current events. But it just... bugged me and that carried throughout the book. That being said, I think this book did a good job of opening the door for gay teens and letting them find a voice through a medium they may be comfortable with: theater.

Roz's school is putting on the play, As You Like It, and Roz has the lead. She gets to play a woman pretending to be a man. I think it makes for a good opening to explore sexuality. Lauren Bjorkman won me over here because Roz truly did start to question her sexuality and what makes her heterosexual and her sister maybe a lesbian. Roz herself wasn't glib or mean about homosexuality, she was very open and accepting. And this is where I had another, more minor, issue with the book. When Roz "comes out" the school as a whole seemed okay with it. Yes, there were some intolerant remarks but it wasn't to the extent I've read about in the papers lately, so I'm just not quite sure how realistic her coming out was. Again, this is more a problem I had because of current events, not necessarily a problem with the book.

I liked the unconventionality of this book. It was just an unusual story. There are a lot of Shakespeare references which was a lot of fun to read about. The taunts in particular. Shakespeare definitely had some more interesting swear words than we currently do. I also liked the ups and downs of the sisters' relationship. They had a far from perfect sibling relationship but I think they had a realistic sisterly bond.

I really like some of the points Bjorkman brought out in her book regarding homosexuality and teens.

"Who wants to be tolerated, anyway?" [Eva] holds her arms out and rotates them in small circles. "I want to be accepted. People who can't accept others don't love themselves.

I think this was such a beautiful point. Tolerance is only good to a point. Truly, acceptance is what we should be striving for and I'm glad Bjorkman stressed that in her book.

This book is kind of an odd story. With the exception of Roz and Eva, I didn't feel like I ever truly got to know the other characters very well. The other characters were very flat and on the surface, serving as springboards for Roz's hijinks. Also, it's written in an odd manner than many of the YA books I've read lately. This isn't a bad thing and I don't know how to describe it properly but it kind of takes place on two levels, the real world, and then, Roz's invented life (hence the title). How these two levels play out amongst the themes is interesting and frustrating.

So, mixed bag all in all. It was a story I had some issues with for sure but on the other hand, I think there were some great points made in the story, and for me, as a heterosexual reader, I felt like Bjorkman dealt with the topic of teen sexuality and homosexuality as sensitively as possible. May not be a book for all readers but its got a lot of humor, it's shorter, and Roz is both annoying and a hoot. So, yes, definitely a mixed bag reaction to this book from this reader.

Also, did any of that make sense?? I had a hard time articulating my thoughts on this book, in part because I was reading it on a plane and I was thinking of other things like reading. If you have questions I'd love to hear them!

Other reviews:
The Story Siren reviews My Invented Life
Presenting Lenore reviews My Invented Life
Not in the Pink reviews My Invented Life

No Blog Abandonment, I promise!

It's been quiet on my blog this week but that's mostly because I am currently on vacation in Las Vegas and not spending much, if any, time on the computer. So, things will pick up come Monday when I'm back and on the regular life schedule again. I got one YA book read on the plane so I even have a review or two coming.

In the meantime, I will say, Viva Las Vegas!

Waiting on Wednesday

We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han, releasing May 3, 2011 (SO FAR AWAY!)
The third and final book in her summer trilogy. I discovered this cover via The Compulsive Reader. I absolutely cannot wait for this book because I need to know what happens with Belly and company. Not even if it ends happily just... what happens. SO FAR AWAY!

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine.

Review: Plain Kate by Erin Bow

Plain Kate was one of those books that took me a really long time to get into. But by the time I finally started being truly engrossed in it, I couldn't put it down!

Synopsis:
Plain Kate lives in a world of superstitions and curses, where a song can heal a wound and a shadow can work deep magic. As the wood-carver's daughter, Kate held a carving knife before a spoon, and her wooden charms are so fine that some even call her "witch-blade" -- a dangerous nickname in a town where witches are hunted and burned in the square.
For Kate and her village have fallen on hard times. Kate's father has died, leaving her alone in the world. And a mysterious fog now covers the countryside, ruining crops and spreading fear of hunger and sickness. The townspeople are looking for someone to blame, and their eyes have fallen on Kate.
Enter Linay, a stranger with a proposition: In exchange for her shadow, he'll give Kate the means to escape the town that seems set to burn her, and what's more, he'll grant her heart's wish. It's a chance for her to start over, to find a home, a family, a place to belong. But Kate soon realizes that she can't live shadowless forever -- and that Linay's designs are darker than she ever dreamed.


The book starts off with Plain Kate, Katerina Svetlana, Kate, My Star. Kate and her father live in a small village. Kate's father is a master carver and he is teaching Kate his trade. Then, the unfortunate happens and he dies. Kate is left totally alone in the world with no one to support her and with a town where many of the residents believe she is a witch. Trouble arrives in the form of Linay, who truly is a witch of immense power. He wants one thing from Kate, something he needs above all else: her shadow. Kate has no plans to agree but as her small town grows more and more suspicious about her talents as a carver, Kate has no choice. She grants Linay his desire and flees, starting off a journey that is rife with horrors, sadness, some friendship, but a hard road indeed.

The writing in this book is fabulous. Even as I really had a hard time getting into this book, truly appreciating Kate's sacrifice, I recognized what a talent Erin Bow is. Kate is a survivor and she will do anything she can, at all costs, to survive. It is not easy. the more I journeyed with Kate, the more I started to appreciate the bone deep grit that she has inside her. She does not need magic powers. She has talent and a desire to live, even as she is markedly alone in the world, with person after person turning away from her in fear and rejection. It would be hard to survive against those circumstances.

Enter quite a bit of magic and a quest to save a shadow, along with the fabulous companion of Taggle, the talking cat, and this book turns into an adventure that is both thrilling and desolate. I think this world is supposed to be some sort of fantasy/fiction world, but it felt like old world Russia to me, particularly with the Roamers (aka gypsies) and the vast land that Kate crossed in her quest to claim her shadow. The language the author uses to describe much of Kate's world also sounds very Russian or at least Eastern European to me. I LOVE stories set in Russia, I love Russian history and frankly so much to do with that country so this fact endeared me to the story.

Another point in this book's favor: no love story! I've been searching lately for stories that do not focus on any sort of love story. This is truly the story of an individual just trying to survive. Yes, she makes a few friends along the way but Kate has way too much on her mind to even begin to worry about falling in love. Plus heck, she's young! I like to imagine as she grows up Kate will find her place in the world, and a place with someone besides her.

Like I said though, it took me awhile to truly gain and appreciation for Kate's story and her struggle. I put this book down several times and truly thought about quitting it altogether. But, the various praise I have read around the internet kept me going strong. I'm glad I stuck with it because I found it to be a rewarding reading experience by the end of the story.

ARC received from publisher.

Other reviews of Plain Kate:
Bookalicio.us reviews Plain Kate
The Book Smugglers review Plain Kate 

Review: Jane by April Lindner

Jane by April Lindner is a modern retelling of the classic story, Jane Eyre. It's got several modern updates including a leading man who is a rock star.

Synopsis: Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, a world-famous rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance. But there's a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane's much-envied relationship with Nico is soon tested by an agonizing secret from his past. Torn between her feelings for Nico and his fateful secret, Jane must decide: Does being true to herself mean giving up on true love?

Jane Eyre ranks almost right up there with Pride and Prejudice as one of my favorite romances of all time. I have always admired Jane as a woman who, though believing she is no one remarkable, tackles life with a tenacity and freshness that few in her position would have. In this case, Jane Moore is an orphan with a sister and a brother who care nothing for her. She has dropped out of college but needs to survive so she applies to be a nanny and gets a mysterious assignment. She soon learns she will be the nanny a little girl named Maddy, the daughter of rock star legend Nico Rathburn. Jane does not follow the tabloids or gossip channels so she knows very little about her new employer. She has no idea what to expect but most all, she does not expect to fall in love.

I really enjoyed how April Lindner incorporated modern times into her story but did not lose any of the great Victorian atmosphere of the famous novel. The descriptions of the palatial Thornfield Park, Nico's estate, are grandiose and dark. It is easy to see this setting being both a harbinger of something deadly but also a safe haven from the outside world.

Nico's music and rock celebrity are also incorporated in such a way to make him a believable modern day Mr. Rochester. Oh its not perfect characterization but I definitely have to give debut author April Lindner kudos for making Nico Rathburn seem mysterious yet approachable, obviously caring for Jane, but not wanting to play his cards too soon. He is NOT Mr. Rochester of course, make no mistake. This is a character who stands fairly well on his own merits.

Most of all I liked Jane, a modern girl who was doing what she had to in order to survive. She was smart, calm, experienced both happiness and jealousy, unsure of her future but also giddy at the prospect of love. In short, she reminded me a lot of myself. And she definitely reminded me of Jane Eyre.

There are some differences between the original and this modern telling but I think it worked for this book's benefit in terms of the book standing alone. Jane never receives an inheritance. She is just an old-fashioned hard worker who makes ends meet the only ways she knows how.

My one disappointment with this book involves the wife in the attic. Honestly, I just didn't find that plot point believable in a modern retelling. With the help of modern science, and good doctors who honestly do want to help people suffering from mental illness, and given Nico's wealth, it just seemed absurd to me that he would think his wife was better off locked in his house than in some type of clinic where she could be comfortable and safe to herself. I know there are bad health care facilities out there, but there are also really great ones. This is a plot point that just did not carry over as well into modern times, for me anyway. It is certainly believable that in the mid-1800s, keeping a wife locked in an attic may very well have been to her benefit but... I couldn't buy into it 100% here. ON the other hand, nothing says Jane Eyre like a wife locked in an attic so I guess if it hadn't happened, I would have been letdown.

I really enjoyed Jane and I think this book is going to be a hit for the YA crowd. It's modern and it's romantic. You have a pair of hopelessly devoted lovers and a love that spans many, many challenges. This is going to be a speed-read for some teen girls. And I hope, that if they haven't yet read Jane Eyre, that this book will open that door for them.

All in all, I was very impressed with April Lindner's debut. She made it a fresh retelling with her own voice, but also captured what made Jane Eyre such a classic.

Other reviews:
Stacked reviews Jane
Librarified reviews Jane
Angieville reviews Jane

ARC provided by publisher.

Romance Roundup: October

Just in case you are on the look out for a fun romance book, here are some of the romance titles I reviewed for September and October:

The Good Greek Wife by Kate Walker
That Runway Summer by Darlene Gardner
Burning Up by Susan Andersen (Not one of the best books I've read recently.)
A Hellion in Her Bed by Sabrina Jeffries
Atlantis Betrayed by Alyssa Day
Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis (One of my absolute faves this month!)
Wedding Season by Katie Fforde
Friday Mornings at Nine by Marilyn Brant

And though I didn't review them, I absolutely LOVED Anne Stuart's new books, Reckless and Ruthless. The third in the series just came out and I just bought it for my Kindle.

I definitely recommend Jill Shalvis's new book, Simply Irresistible. If you haven't tried a romance book in awhile, this is a really great one to get you back on the romance reading track.

Have you read a good romance book recently? Please share! I'm always looking for new authors.

Review: The Sweetness of Salt by Cecilia Galante

The Sweetness of Salt by Cecilia Galante is a great family story. Not much of a romance instead, a strict focus on what happened to this family to make it fall apart in different ways. It was just the book I was looking for actually.

Synopsis: Julia just graduated as her high school valedictorian, has a full ride to college in the fall and a coveted summer internship clerking for a federal judge. But when her older sister, Sophie, shows up at the graduation determined to reveal some long buried secrets, Julia's carefully constructed plans come to a halt. Instead of the summer she had painstakingly laid out, Julia follows Sophie back to Vermont, where Sophie is opening a bakery—and struggling with some secrets of her own. What follows is a summer of revelations—some heartwarming, some heartbreaking, and all slowly pointing Julia toward a new understanding of both herself and of the sister she never really knew.

Julia Anderson and her older sister, Sophie, really don't get along anymore. Julia just does not understand Sophie at all and well, she is tired of trying. Whenever Sophie comes to visit she just causes problems in the family and frankly, Julia is tired of it. She knows her parents weren't always the greatest but in her mind, it is time to move on. Only, there is something Sophie cannot move on from and when Julia finds out, she is splintered also. Julia heads to Vermont and Sophie to get more answers but what she finds is still far from what she expected.

This is a good sister story. These two are different enough where their personalities easily clash, but also similar enough that they can find common ground. Julia is not exactly the nicest person when it comes to her sister. She is very hard on her. Sophie on the other hand isn't easy to get to know and the use of flashbacks helps set the stage for why Julia and Sophie are not very close. Several difficult situations have gone down in their family and it hasn't led to sisterly bonding.

Seeing them finally get to know each other, in the present, even with a few secrets still between them, was refreshing and interesting. Now, Julia is also on the outs with her parents and that leads to some turning point situations for the sisters. Their getting to know each other seemed natural to me. As they worked on the house that Sophie was turning into a bakery, they were able to talk and just finally be with each other, outside the presence of the parents.

I don't think the parents were totally vilified in this story either. Yes, they had made some bad decisions, I will certainly grant you, but they were not monsters and in the end, they just wanted what was best for their children, both Julia and Sophie. They didn't go about it always in the best ways, but what parent is perfect, even when guided by love?

There is a bit of a romance in this book, between Julia and a boy named Milo. It definitely wasn't the main focus of the book and honestly, I found her friendship with a guy named Aiden, an artist who was moving to Seattle but had some unfinished business in his hometown. They both found friendly solace in each other.

This was, above all else, a sister story and I enjoyed it for that and that alone. It had small town charm too that helped make the town of Poultney something other than just another dot on the map. I had hope for Julia and Sophie, and for the Anderson family as a whole, at the end of the book. An imperfect ending for an imperfect family.

(Also, can I just say, I LOVE salty and sweet mixed together so this title was spot-on for me.)

Other reviews:
Super Librarian reviews The Sweetness of Salt
Kiss My Book reviews The Sweetness of Salt
Moonlight Book Reviews reviews The Sweetness of Salt

ARC reviewed from Around the World Tours.

Review: Nothing Like You by Laura Strasnick

Nothing Like You is the story of a girl who is essentially lost, makes all the wrong choices, and has to live with the consequences. Will she own up to her mistakes is the question?

Synopsis:
When Holly loses her virginity to Paul, a guy she barely knows, she assumes their encounter is a one-night stand. After all, Paul is too popular to even be speaking to Holly...and he happens to have a long-term girlfriend, Saskia. But ever since Holly's mom died six months ago, Holly has been numb to the world, and she's getting desperate to feel something, anything—so when Paul keeps pursuing her, Holly relents. Paul's kisses are a welcome diversion...and it's nice to feel like the kind of girl that a guy like Paul would choose.
But things aren't so simple with Saskia around. Paul's real girlfriend is willowy and perfect... and nothing like Holly. To make matters worse, she and Holly are becoming friends. Suddenly the consequences of Holly's choices are all too real, and Holly stands to lose more than she ever realized she had. 

After the death of her mom from cancer, Holly's life falls apart. She eats, sleeps, and hangs out with her best friend Nils, but she doesn't exactly do it with life and vibrancy. She is lost as assuredly as her mother is dead unfortunately. She is making mistakes left and right, including losing her virginity to one of the popular boys at school, Paul Bennett. And if that isn't bad enough, Paul has a girlfriend so Holly just put herself in an even worse situation. But she truly thinks it is a one off situation, that nothing will come of it. But Paul comes knocking and Holly succumbs. It's easier to be with Paul, to fool herself into believing something may come of it, then to truly recognize the loss of her mother.

But of course, mistakes will come back to bite you and that is what happens. This is a different story because while I felt like I shouldn't like Holly at all, after all, she is the mystical and vilified "other woman," she is also a teenager who is just making bad choices. I recognized that early on and I just wanted her to find some help, some grounding in her life.

This is not a redemptive story but is a story about growing up under tough circumstances. Holly is reaching out to her mother in different ways, both positive and destructive and I liked how that played out on the pages of the book. Relationships are an intrinsic part of this story and readers will see a variety of both negative and positive relationships on the spectrum, from friends to boyfriend/girlfriend, to enemies. Strasnick has a talent for delving into the many relationships teenagers face on a day to day basis.

The ending of this book was perfect for me. It was just what Holly needed and even me, as the reader, it was what I needed and hoped for her. I will let you read to find out yourself though. Nothing Like You is not necessarily groundbreaking in YA fiction but it was the kind of story that happens in real life, to so many teenagers, so it just had this refreshing realistic feel to it that resonated with me. I'm looking forward to reading Strasnick's new, recently released, book now.

Book reviewed from library copy. Check it out at your own local library!

Other reviews:
Steph Su Reads reviews Nothing Like You
The Book Cellar reviews Nothing Like You (and didn't enjoy the ending as much as me, but that's ok!)
Read This Book reviews Nothing Like You

In My Mailbox

Sarah Mail!

Just a few books in the mail this week but they are good ones.

For review:
It Started with a Dare by LIndsay Faith Rech
Adios, Nirvana by Conrad Wesselhoeft
The Sweetness of Salt by Cecelia Galante (Around the World Tours)

Have you read any of these books? What did you think?

In My Mailbox is a weekly feature from The Story Siren.

Month in review: September

Here's what I read in September:

123. Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler (9/2/10)
124. One Night... Nine Month Scandal by Sarah Morgan (9/3/10)
125. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen (9/5/10)
126. Indigo Blues by Danielle Joseph (9/6/10)
127. Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian (9/9/10)
128. When the Stars Go Blue by Caridad Ferrer (9/11/10)
129. Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz (9/16/10)
130. That Runaway Summer by Darlene Gardner (9/16/10)
131. For Keeps by Natasha Friend (9/18/10)
132. Reckless by Anne Stuart (9/18/10)
133. Ruthless by Anne Stuart (9/20/10)
134. Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin (9/23/10)
135. Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis (9/26/10)
136. Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas (9/28/10)

Total books read: 14
Favorite book: Not That Kind of Girl and When the Stars Go Blue
Most disappointing: Extraordinary

Any favorite stories in September? Something that didn't quite hit its mark? Please share!