"This Is Where It Ends" by Marieke Nijkamp

I wan't so sure about this book prior to reading. Yes, I wanted to read it. But I was so scared of all the emotions that I knew would be invoked while reading. Fear, sadness, anger, confusion, anxiety... I wasn't sure if I was ready to read this. I decided to read it anyway and I am so glad I did. Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for allowing me to read the e-ARC of the amazing book This Is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp. 

I think the less a reader knows about this book, the better off they will be. I only knew the basics- this is a book told through 4 different character views over the span of 54 minutes. That is 54 minutes of terror. Here is the description (taken from Netgalley):

10:00 a.m.

The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.

The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03

The auditorium doors won't open.

10:05

Someone starts shooting.

This explosive, emotional, page-turning debut about a high school held hostage is told from the perspective of four teens—each with their own reason to fear the boy with the gun.

The characters that Nijkamp created in this book are so believable. I could relate and connect with every single one of them. Although this book is a YA Thriller, the words written are beautiful. Such wonderful storytelling from this debut author. 

I highlighted a lot of passages throughout reading. My intention was to share short little blurbs that wouldn't give away the story. But I have decided not to. I want future readers to experience all the emotions of this book the first time they read it. No spoilers. 

This book is dark. It's emotional. It's shocking. It's traumatic. It will be a controversial book, I am sure. It's not easy to read, but you will be so glad you did. 

"This Is Where It Ends" is set to be released in January 2016. Add it to your shelves. You won't be disappointed. It's haunting, yet powerful and unlike any book I have ever read before. 

Happy Reading!

  

David C Riggens' "Boys Of The Fatherless"

David C. Riggins' "Boys Of The Fatherless" is a book that left me wanting more. To start with, this is the author's first book and honestly, while the story is interesting, I felt it was just missing too much.

It seemed like there was so much info crammed into these 90 pages and what was important, what I wanted to know more about, was left out. At times I felt like I was reading a rough draft of a story. I definitely feel that the story is interesting, but just needed more brainstorming, plot analysis, and editing. 

There is not much beyond that to say. The story itself is interesting and I feel like it could absolutely be a great read, but more work needed to be done. A wonderful jump off to a story about coming-of-age, sexuality, and true-to-life experiences. This has all the potential of a good book but was just so-so. 

The ending itself was "to be continued" and I am interested in reading the next short story. This review is not meant to be negative. I do like the book. I just wanted to know more. It seemed to lack the "flow" of a good read. Too choppy and incomplete. 

I give it a solid 3 stars! 

Happy Reading! 

"Down The Rabbit Hole" by Holly Madison

Have I ever mentioned that I love sitting on my couch and watching E! reality shows (and Bravo too- love Shahs of Sunset)? NO? Okay, so it's not that I am embarrassed, obviously, because I am blogging about my love of trashy tv. But it isn't something I would say I am proud of. It all started with the "Girls Next Door" premier in 2005. I was addicted from the first show and I tuned in every week to see what Holly, Bridget, and Kendra were up to. Even when the series ended I watched their individual shows (I still watch Kendra On Top). I was so excited to read Down The Rabbit Hole!

The wait time for both the hardcover and the ebook at my library was months. I wasn't sure if it was a book I wanted to purchase either. The digital audio download at my library had no holds so I decided to give audiobooks another try. I was not disappointed! 

The audiobook is actually narrated by Holly Madison herself so that was a plus. As a busy mother of 3, I wasn't sure I could listen and stay focused to what she was saying while doing things around the house, but it was very easy to listen along. My library's app allowed me to listen on my iPhone like a podcast which was great.

I had read some articles raving about her tell-all book prior. I was very interested but at the same time I thought it was a bit "trashy"  because the buzz seemed to relay that she was dumping all over Hugh Hefner, Kendra, and others. 

However, she was no-holds-barred about her life. While she spilled secrets about Hefner's controlling, derogatory, degrading mannerisms towards women and Kendra's ditsy, outrageous, and over the top publicity stunts she also had no problem telling how she herself acted immoral, back stabbed others, and made poor decisions to try and get ahead in life. 

She had no problem admitting that she was the one who made horrible decisions resulting in severe depression and anxiety. She explains to critics why it wasn't just easy to walk out the mansion front door and never look back due to years of mental and verbal abuse by Heff and others at the mansion. She actually takes responsibility for her actions and worked her ass off to get where she is today. 

There was plenty of juicy gossip too. Crazy after-club sex parties, reprimands from Hefner about the color of lipstick worn by "his girls", and the horrible antics done to her by other girls living at the house. 

The story is Holly's and therefore one sided but I do believe a lot of what she states because she does seem to have a way to back it up and even spills about her immature and insecure decisions that led to or followed the problems. She didn't portray herself as an innocent victim which I commend her for. She didn't candy coat the re-telling of situations even when she was the one who was in the wrong.

Very quick read (or listen) and if you were ever into the shows surrounding the Playboy Mansion I highly suggest reading this. It was very entertaining. I give it 5 stars because I was addicted to her story from the get-go.

So, now you know my love for trashy tv and books about trashy tv. #SorryNotSorry 

Happy Reading!

The Wait...

So I just finished a really good ARC. Like really good. I actually MADE myself read slow so I could enjoy it and suck up every amazing this the author wrote. Reading slow is something I don't think I have ever done. It is a book I would definitely love to read again. To be honest the books I have/would re-read I can count on one hand. 

This was a Netgalley digital arc and the publisher has asked that all reviews wait until the release date, which in this case is August 4, 2015.

So you will have to wait for my review!

On to the next book! 

Happy Reading!!!

The Truth And Other Lies by Sascha Arango

I had the pleasure of reading this book back in May thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books. They were very clear not to post reviews of any kind until the release date. Now that this book is available for purchase I can finally post my review!

The Truth And Other Lies is Sascha Arango's debut thriller. 

"On the surface, Henry Hayden seems like someone you could like, or even admire. A famous bestselling author who appears a modest everyman. A loving, devoted husband even though he could have any woman he desires. A generous friend and coworker. But Henry Hayden is a construction, a mask. His past is a secret, his methods more so. No one besides him and his wife know that she is the actual writer of the novels that made him famous.

For most of Henry’s life, it hasn’t been a problem. But when his hidden-in-plain-sight mistress becomes pregnant and his carefully constructed facade is about to crumble, he tries to find a permanent solution, only to make a terrible mistake.

Now not only are the police after Henry, but his past—which he has painstakingly kept hidden—threatens to catch up with him as well. Henry is an ingenious man and he works out an ingenious plan. He weaves lies, truths, and half-truths into a story that might help him survive. But bit by bit the noose still tightens."

Smart, sardonic, and compulsively readable, here is the story of a man whose cunning allows him to evade the consequences of his every action, even when he’s standing on the edge of the abyss."

While the start was very slow, once I was past the first 25% it actually became very enjoyable. I was eager to read as fast as I could to figure out the twists and mysteries. The characters are very well developed and at a times likable and relatable. The mysteries and plot were sometimes confusing. I know this is a thriller, but I felt left out of huge secrets that only the characters knew and it just threw off my reading and left me annoyed. 

The character's inner thoughts, at times, dragged on and on making for extremely boring reading while not giving any real relevance to the main story and ultimately just distracting me from the plot. 

From the start I wondered what the main character was hiding. I plowed through pages just sure it was something crazy and evil. Then the end comes and I got nothing. It was a mangled, cliffhanger ending.

I give this book 3.5 stars. Not on my list of top thrillers, but not a complete waste of time. I am interested to see if the author writes anymore thrillers. Also, this book was a German to English translation, which sometimes can be a bit of a mess, but this book actually translated great. 

Happy Reading!

"The Good Girls (The Perfectionists #2) by Sara Shepard

Sometimes you just need an easy read. For me I like YA books that take me back to before I had bills to pay, laundry to fold and dinners to make. I love books that take me back to life as a high-schooler. The Good Girls by Sara Shepard is book 2 in a series that did just that. It took me back and wrapped me up in gossip, lies, and lip gloss. Oh, and in this book (and series) there was also murder.

I loved the Pretty Little Liars book series. All 17 of them. I also am a huge fan of the show. I have yet to dabble in The Lying Game Series.

The Good Girls is the second and last book in The Perfectionists series. That being said I will try not to spoil anything for readers who haven't even read the first book, simply named The Perfectionists, but plan to read it someday. 

Basically the series (duo? pair?) starts out with a group of girls that all seem to be perfect on the outside. A group project brings them together and at first they all think they have nothing in common. Until they start talking about hypothetical killings. People they want out of their lives. They all realize they have hatred for a fellow classmate, a boy named Nolan. 

In the first book they discuss who and how they would hypothetically like to wind up dead. They end up devising a plan to humiliate Nolan at a party except the plan goes terribly wrong and Nolan ends up dead in the exact way they hypothetically talked about it. It freaks them all out, of course!

This book starts where the first left off. Their teacher (and who they thought killed Nolan) winds up dead the same night they were there to try and get him to confess. Then another person they named winds up dead also. Coincidence? Did someone overhear their conversation? Who is trying to frame them for murder? Are they in danger of being murdered also?

I know it sounds totally cheesy, but I totes love books like this! It was a fun, quick, easy read that actually ended okay. I didn't see it coming. Like not at all. I like that even though I thought and thought about who the murderer(s) was I still didn't guess the ending. I was a bit disappointed but I won't spill the beans. I'll let you decide about the ending.  

Perfect for a fun summer weekend read or a book to sit by the pool with! A solid 4 stars. 

Happy Reading!

"Spelled" by Betsy Schow

"If it looks too good to be true, it probably is." ~ Gretel from Candy Kills: A True Story

"Rule #68: When you're afraid, hold your head high and whistle a happy tune. This remedy is also known to increase dwarf productivity by a multiple of seven." ~ Definitive Fairy Tale Survival Guide, Volume 1

This book is filled with adorable, witty little quotes and rules taken from other fairy tales. It's also filled with lots of plays on words such as:

an ebook- the e short for enchanted

AND

a spellpone (cellphone)

I am telling you, Spelled was a very fun read! It was over-the-top outrageous fun following the adventure of Dorthea- the bratty, spoiled, and cursed Emerald Princess. Pixed (pissed) off that she is being forced to marry Kato, a not-so-charming prince of another kingdom, she wished on a cursed star and it backfires, turning her whole world into mad chaos. 

She then sets out on a weird adventure through magical kingdoms to try and save her parents and restore the magic that she mixed up. Along the way friends are made, enemies are fought, and Dorthea grows from a bratty princess who was only concerned about herself, to a princess who looks out for others in her kingdom. 

There were so many references to other fairy tales that this book truly was interesting throughout. It is laugh out loud funny at times with all the puns and character's you probably have forgotten since your childhood. 

I admit that this YA book was VERY young adult-ish. But it was such a fun, easy read that it didn't bother me. It was a mental vacation in a magical kingdom that I looked forward to reading after the kiddos went to bed. 

This book ends in a cliffhanger. Searching Amazon and Goodreads I found no reference to this being the start of a series, but rumor has it that on her Twitter page she references a possible second book. I combed through her Twitter profile but it was so full that I got tired of searching. 

All in all I give this book a solid 3.5 stars! It kept me entertained with exciting plot twists and fun references to the fairy tales I grew up reading.

A special thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for allowing me a digital copy to read and review. 

Happy Reading!