ARC Review of "Smart Girl"

Smart Girl 

By Rachel Hollis 

Stars: 4 

Source: NG

Release Date: January 19th 2016 

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Miko Jin has been madly in love with Liam Ashton for an entire year. Tired of pining away over someone who barley acknowledges her existence she decides to take measures into her own hands. And the hands of romance writers everywhere. 

Using her favorite literary couples as inspiration she devises a plan to not only get Liam to notice her but to fall madly in love with her. 

But as every romance reader knows, things don't always go as planned when it comes to matters of the heart.

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This was my first Rachel Hollis book, and let me tell you, I was NOT prepared for the hysterical fits of laughter that accompany her writing/story. 

I don't even think I was 4 chapters in before I found myself clutching my stomach and wiping away giant tears rolling down my face, all while trying not to pee my pants. 

Trust me. It was THAT funny! 

Here's where my review gets a little... Awkward I guess?  

While I adored her writing, most of her characters and ALL of her Gilmore Girl-esque pop culture references, I didn't like Liam or Miko's relationship with Liam. 

Crazy I know! Loving a book but hating the main 'couple'. 

I'd be interested to go back and read the first two books in this series (they are all 'companion novels') and see how I feel about the previous couples mentioned but for me this one just didn't sit right with me. 

Even in the end I still felt like Liam was a jerk and that Miko deserved someone better than a player who can't settle down. 

Maybe it was just me.. 

All in all I HIGHLY recommend Rachel Hollis' writing but I probably wouldn't start with this book.  

Until next time, 

Ginger 

In compliance with FTC guidelines I am disclosing that this book was given to me for free to review. 

My review is my honest opinion.

January Wrap UP!

I'm really embracing the snow for this months 'theme' so I hope you guys like it! 

Here's my January Wrap Up! 

1. Sweet Reckoning: The conclusion to Wendy Higgins "Sweet Series". I listen to this one on Audible and I LOVED it. 

2. Shade Me: The first book in the new "Nikki Kill" series. If you like Veronica Mars you will love this book! 

3. See Me: Nicholas Sparks isn't everyone's cup of tea, but dammit, he's mine! I read this book in one sitting! 

 1. Slammed: I've only ever come across one Colleen Hoover book that I didn't like and this was not it! While I didn't give it 5 stars it was without a doubt one of my favorite books I read (listened to) this month. 

2. The Assassin and the Pirate Lord: This was for my TBR Challenge (read a prequel)and it was a quick, fun read. I'm currently reading The Assassin and the Healer so that will be in my February Wrap Up Post. 

3. Sword and Verse: This was a really pleasant surprise for me! I didn't know anything about this book going into it and I flew through it! I'll have a review up later this month. 

 4. The Year We Fall Apart: This book was a hard one for me to rate, I'll go into why in my review (to come) but I just felt like it was missing too much for me to rate it 5 Stars/Snow Flakes. 

5. Smart Girl: This was my first Rachel Hollis book and OMG I laughed so hard I cried! And not just at one part, it was the entire book! It was a super fun, sweet read and I'll be reviewing it sometime next week! 

6. Flat Out Celeste: This is the third book I listened to this month and while it wasn't quite as good as the first book in the series, "Flat Out Love", I really liked seeing things from Celeste's point of view and I loved how it wrapped up everything for all the characters. I haven't read the "Flat Out Matt" yet which is book 1.5 in the series but its on my list. 

1. Shallow Graves: This was one of my most anticipated books of the month and it just fell short for me. I liked the idea behind it but the story itself wasn't enough to hold my attention. I'll also be review this later this month. 

2. I Remember You: Oh how I wanted so badly to love this book. Its been on my TBR since before it was released and I was so excited to read it. Sadly I ended up almost hating this book, along with the characters. I couldn't relate to the MC and the story just dragged on and on. Honestly this one should've been rated 2 Stars and I don't know why I gave it 3 on Goodreads... 

 All of my 1 "Snow Flake" books are books that I DNF. 

1. Elementals: I love stories about modern day witches and I LOVE this cover but the story just wasn't there for me.

2. Thicker Than Water: Another good concept and intriguing synopsis but it just dragged on and on and I couldn't make myself finish it. 

3. The Mystery of Hollow Places: I was actually really excited when I started this book. I went into it blind and it started off with a really interesting couple of chapters but I found myself forcing myself to pick it up and the story started to lag. 

4. Other Broken Things: I'm all for a rebellious teen with an attitude problem but oh. My. God. I hated this MC. I usually make myself read 30% before I DNF but I don't even think I made it past 15% with this book. 

5. A Madness So Discreet: A little back story on this book. I actually met Mindy McGinnis at an event before she ever started writing this book. I overheard her talking about an idea she had for her next book and I was hooked. I immediately inserted myself into the conversation to get the tentative title and possible release date. A year or two later I finally saw it on EW and I was SO EXCITED. Sadly I just couldn't get into it...

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So there's my January Wrap Up! I feel like I had a really good reading month! I think what helped me read SO MUCH and what kept me from falling into a slump is DNF when I felt like it and not forcing myself to push through. Last year I fell into a MONTH LONG slump and it was awful so I'm trying to not let that happen again. 

Let me know what you think and I'll talk to you soon! 

Until next time,

 Ginger  

Book In A Minute Review Of "The Secrets Of Attraction"

Ginger's Book In A Minute Review 

"The Secrets Of Attraction" 

Stars: 4 

Source: Edelweiss 

Release Date: April 28th 2015

Whose in it? 

Madison and Jessie. 

Three things about Madison:

1. She is extremely close to her mother. 

2. She has a boyfriend named Zach. 

3. She is currently working on a portfolio that will hopefully get her into a summer art program. 

Three things about Jessie: 

1. He's a musician (insert dreamy eyes here). 

2. His girlfriend cheated on him with his former band mate. 

        3. He is incredible sweet and adorable. 

What's it about? 

Jessie trying to recover from an awful breakup and Madison trying to figure out how to deal with the major bomb that her mom just dropped on her and of course how they come together and help one another through their individual drama.  

Who would I recommend it to? 

Anyone who likes Stephanie Perkins or Jennifer E. Smith. This was a quick read with amazing characters that I instantly liked and rooted for. If you're looking for a book to read during these last few days of summer I HIGHLY recommend this one! 

Anything else I think you should know? 

This is actually a companion novel to Robins debut book "The Promise of Amazing". Which I was unaware of when I picked this one up. While it can be read as a stand alone it will spoil a few things from the first book so I recommend reading them in order. 

Where can you buy it? 

Amazon - Barnes and Noble  - Book Depository

I hope you enjoy this new feature I'm trying out. I'm so far behind on my reviews that I thought this would be a new, quick and fun way and catching up and sharing my thoughts. 

Feel free to post your own "Book In A Minute" reviews just make sure to link back to my blog :) 

Until next time, 

Ginger 

In compliance with FTC guidelines I am disclosing that this book was given to me for free to review. 

My review is my honest opinion.

ARC Review of "Kissing In America"

Kissing In America 

By Margo Rabb 

Stars: 4

Source: Edelweiss 

Release Date: May 26th 2015 

When Eva meets Will it's like one of her favorite romance novels come to life. In a split second she goes from single to soul mate. So when Will suddenly up and moves hundreds of miles away she's understandably heartbroken. 

With the help of her best friend Annie, Eva tries to find a way to travel from New York to California to see Will all without worrying her extremely overprotective mother or even divulging the fact that she has a boyfriend. 

Flying is out of the question because of how her father died two years ago so Eva and Annie set off on a cross country road trip.

  

In this coming of age novel Rabb teaches us how to grieve, how to love and how to find ourselves. 

Amazon - Barnes and Noble  - Book Depository

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I have very mixed feelings about this book. I felt like it was almost three really amazing books cut up and made into one. 

It started off feeling like a really cute, romantic, contemporary read. 

Then it got deeper and more emotional and showed us the horrible feelings of loss and pain. 

Then it turned into a road trip book (which granted is what I was expecting going into it) and suddenly there were weird bus people and STD obsessed aunts. 

All three on their own would be books I would enjoy and read but together made this weird mash up that left you tilting your head and wondering what was going on. 

Staying with the theme of mixed feelings... Eva. I couldn't help but laugh every time she daydreamed herself into the latest romance novel she was reading, it seriously made me laugh out loud. 

I actually didn't mind the 'insta love' she had with Will until he ended up leaving and she went all coo coo banana's. Really girl? Pull yourself together! 

But on the other... other hand she seemed so strong dealing with her fathers death, especially when her own mother didn't want to talk about it or acknowledge the fact that it ever happened. 

She was an okay character but was somewhat inconsistent and at times contradictory. 

I really enjoyed Annie as a character and I wish she had more of a part in the story. 

Will... Well lets just say I wasn't a fan of Will. 

All in all I did give it 4 stars because it was a really quick read and I would recommend it as a nice beachy/summer read. 

Until next time, 

Ginger 

In compliance with FTC guidelines I am disclosing that this book was given to me for free to review. 

My review is my honest opinion.

Mini Review of "The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak

The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak

By Brian Katcher 

Stars:4

Source: Edelweiss 

Release Date: May 19th 2015 

Ana is a straight A student, she's a by the book kind of girl who follows the rules and never steps off the straight and narrow path. 

Zak is, well, the opposite, he's all about adventure and breaking the rules, and more importantly WashingCon, it's the only thing he looks forward to every year, so when he gets sucked into joining the Quiz Bowl team and attending the semi finals (which happen to be during WashingCon) he is, of course, devastated.  

When Ana's younger brother, Clayton, ditches their school's Quiz Bowl's semi-finals to run around the Science Fiction Convention he's heard Zak talking about Ana and Zak find themselves teaming up in order to track him down and save them all from a lifetime of detention and summer school.

Amazon - Barnes and Noble  - Book Depository

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I read this book in one sitting and laughed my butt off through the entire read! I feel like you'll enjoy this book 10X more if you've ever attended a ComicCon/SciFi Convention. 

I related to Zak instantly when he was talking about counting down the days to the event and the fun and shenanigans that happen at ComicCon. 

Then again I also related to Ana and her somewhat misguided views on the nerdy gathering. Before attending my first Con I had the same feelings and thoughts Ana had and of course, just like Ana, after seeing what it's like in person, completely changed my mind and embraced the geek culture. 

This is going to be a quick review since I read this a couple weeks ago and can't seem to find my notes but to sum it up for you I loved the characters, the setting and all the pop culture references, from Star Trek to Star Wars, they were all on point! 

Another quick thing I wanted to mention was that even though this was a quick read with a ton of comedy and a little romance the underlining deeper themes were what really made this book for me. 

Zak's relationship with his step dad and Ana's relationship with her parents were what, for me, really rounded out the story and what made it stick out from other cutesy summer reads. 

All in all I'd recommend this for the closet nerds, intense gamer's or to those who fully embrace the fact that they should have been born on a star ship or in a galaxy somewhere far, far away. 

Until next time, 

Ginger 

In compliance with FTC guidelines I am disclosing that this book was given to me for free to review. 

My review is my honest opinion.

Review of "Side Effects May Vary"

Side Effects May Vary 

By Julie Murphy 

Stars: 4 

Source: Purchased 

Diagnosed with cancer at the age of 16 Alice decides that if she isn't going to make it then she's going to do all the horrible, nasty things she never would've done had she been a normal, healthy teenager. She's going to serve up a big plate of revenge to everyone who has ever wronged her and all without consequences. Because when you're staring death in the eyes nothing really matters past today. 

Alice and Harvey, her long time best friend, start enacting her grand revenge plan, one at a time until everyone is checked off the list. 

But when Alice goes into remission she realizes that all the consequences she thought she'd dodged are hurtling right at her and at full speed. 

Amazon - Barnes and Noble  - Book Depository

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I have very mixed feelings about this book. 

I adored Harvey, he was such a nice guy and he would do anything for Alice, no matter what she asked of him he did it. 

But Alice... Alice was a bitch. 

She treated everyone in her life like dirt, especially Harvey. She knew how he felt about her and she still used him, manipulated him to her fullest extent and when she was done using him he went out with the garbage. 

It was so frustrating! 

I went into this book thinking it was going to be a humorous story. Alice pulls all this crap and calls out all the people who were ever mean to her and then realizes she has to face them all when she doesn't die. 

It wasn't like that at all. 

I was about as happy as Alice was when she realized she wasn't go to die. 

I'm all for the character that you find yourself loving to hate but I just flat out hated Alice. I didn't see anything redeeming about her or her actions. 

Had Harvey not been apart of the story I would've given this a 2-3 star rating but since I did enjoy his character so much I couldn't help but give it 4. 

To wrap it up, I wouldn't recommend this book but if you find yourself with nothing to read, it isn't awful. 

Until next time,

 Ginger 

ARC Review of "Lying Out Loud"

Lying Out Loud

By Kody Keplinger

Stars:4 

Source: Edelweiss 

Release Date: April 28th 2015 

Sonny Ardmore is the worlds best liar- or worst, depending on who you ask. She can pull a lie out of thin air, without a seconds notice, and spin it into the most believable story. 

The only person Sonny ever feels bad lying to is Amy Rush, they've been best friends for years and although they tell each other everything and practically live together Sonny still fibs every know and then to keep bigger secrets from surfacing. 

When the snotty, new kid whose too good for their school (and doesn't mind telling you that) starts falling for Amy Sonny takes it into her own hands. After all Amy is way to nice to tell Ryder to bugger off so why shouldn't she step up and do the dirty work? 

But the waters become muddy when Sonny realizes that Ryder isn't as bad as she thought. She spends all night IMing him, getting to know him and opening up herself, sharing things she never thought she would, only to realize once he signs off that she was using Amy's account all along. 

Suddenly Sonny is forced with the decision to come clean or keep lying and no matter which she chooses the outcome looks the same. 

Amazon - Barnes and Noble  - Book Depository

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Can we just take a moment to talk about how Kody sets all of her books in the same world with overlapping characters and surprise appearances from old favorites (cough cough Wesley!). I love authors who do this! There aren't many and the only other one I can think of is Sarah Dessen but it makes me fangirl a little bit (a lot!) to get small glimpses of the other characters. 

Okay moving on. 

I loved The DUFF, from page one I was hooked and I didn't set it down until I finished it, Lying Out Loud was a little bit of a slower read and pace than The DUFF. 

I didn't love it as much (although I still did give it 4 stars so obviously I didn't hate it!) I felt like Sonny wasn't my favorite MC and that Ryder was just annoying. 

I almost wish that the book had been told from Amy's point of view. I really loved her as a character and I think maybe I would've related a little bit more to her voice. 

Of course I loved all the scenes with Wesley and Bianca and I can't wait to read Kody's other books because I know some of the characters she ran into throughout the book have their own stories. 

All in all it was an okay read and I enjoyed it but it didn't necessarily meet the standards I set for it after reading The DUFF. 

Until next time, 

Ginger 

In compliance with FTC guidelines I am disclosing that this book was given to me for free to review. 

My review is my honest opinion.

Mini ARC Review of "Every Last Promise"

Every Last Promise 

By Kristin Halbrook 

Stars: 4 

Source: Edelweiss 

Release Date: April 21st 2015 

Kayla remembers every second of that night, what she saw, who was involved, what she did to try to protect her friend and herself. But it's easier and safer if she keeps up the charade, if she continues letting people think that she has no memory of that night or the events that took place. 

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This book really sucked me in, from the first couple of chapters I had to know what happened. The plot definitely drove me to finish this book. Unlike the characters that kept driving me to put the book down. I didn't relate to anyone, especially the main character, Kayla, her so called friends were awful and her town in general annoyed me. 

I wasn't a fan of the jumping around in the chapters, the flashbacks didn't really add enough to the story to remain relevant and I feel like the story could have been deeper and more in depth if it had just been told in the present time. 

The ending was awful (story wise not the writing) and it made me so mad but sadly it was believable and happens all too often. 

All in all it was an okay read and while it wasn't horrible I feel like it wasn't memorable and that in a couple weeks I won't be able to remember any of it. 

Until next time, 

Ginger 

In compliance with FTC guidelines I am disclosing that this book was given to me for free to review. 

My review is my honest opinion.

ARC Review of "Lies I Told"

Lies I Told 

By Michelle Zink 

Stars: 4

Source: Edelweiss 

Release Date April 7th 2015 

Grace Fontaine is a con artist, a thief and a professional liar. Adopted into the family that taught her everything Grace will do anything to keep them all together, even if that means following in their corrupt footsteps. 

Up until we meet Grace she has followed the rules, never doing anything that could put her or her family at risk. Nothing that would expose them for who they really are. 

But suddenly Grace finds herself falling for her 'mark', instead of being focused and one step ahead of everyone else she finds herself caught up in the moment and slipping up at the worst times. 

It's their biggest heist yet and with a high reward comes high stakes. Sacrifices have to be made and mistakes could end up costing them everything. 

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First off let me just say that this is not a standalone. Since I finished it GoodReads has updated it's listing as book one in a series (maybe a duology?). So that should save you the pain I had to endure when I finished what I thought was a standalone novel.

I liked this book way more than I initally thought I would. For a family of jewel theives they were all so relatable, likable even! 

I found myself rooting for them to pull it off and make it out okay. 

I obviously have problems... 

Don't get me wrong I liked Logan's family too and I didn't want to see them hurt but Zink did such an amazing job with this book that you don't even realize you're rooting for the bad guys until the books over. 

I liked the somewhat underlining mystery of Grace's (insane?) next door neighbor and I loved the roll that Logan's fathers mental health played. 

It was a really well rounded story that of course left me with dozens of questions after I finished it! 

I can't wait to get my hands on the next one to see where Zink takes Grace. 

Until next time, 

Ginger

In compliance with FTC guidelines I am disclosing that this book was given to me for free to review. 

My review is my honest opinion.

ARC Review of "Liars, Inc."

Liars, Inc. 

By Paula Stokes 

Stars: 4 

Source: Edelweiss 

Release Date: March 24th 2015 

Liars, Inc. started off as an innocent way for Max and his friends to make money. They didn't see any harm in forging permission slips or coming up with fake alibi's for overprotective parents. 

So when Max's best friend, Preston, asks him to cover for him over the weekend Max doesn't hesitate. 

However when Monday morning rolls around and the cops are wondering where Preston ran off to Max begins to regret his decision.

Suddenly Preston is a missing person and Max is the main suspect in his disappearance. When all the evidence and clues start to point towards Max he starts doubting who to trust. After all, aren't we all liars? 

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When I picked up this book I was not in the mood for a mystery, let alone the thrilling ride that "Liars, Inc." takes you on, but it took less than one chapter for me to change my mind and dive into the craziness that is this book. 

I put aside all the other books I was reading and blew through this faster than you can say "liar, liar pants on fire". 

I loved Max's voice and his character as a whole, he felt genuine and authentic and I could relate to him easily. 

Parvati was a kick ass character who knew how to cover tracks and lay low and I LOVED that she wasn't the cliche, anti street smart, dumb blonde. Parvati hears a noise in the basement? She's out of there! None of that slowly walking down the dark stairs whispering 'Whose there?'. 

Preston was insanely dynamic and lovable and I wish that we had just a little more time with him before his... Unfortunate demise... 

The plot was so airtight and the story was so fast paced that it left me breathless and unaware of the passing hours. 

It reminds me of a line in a song, "I've never told a lie, and that makes me a liar." 

I'm not going to lie (ignore that awful attempt at a pun) I was skeptical of a book based wholly on the fact that no one can be trusted and everyone has secrets. 

I felt like I was going to be pointing fingers the entire time and checking over my shoulder (or Max's shoulder as the case may be) waiting for something bad to happen. 

I didn't see myself being able to sit back and simple enjoy the book. 

But the way that Paula tells the story had me believing everyone, trusting everyone and before I knew what was happening the ending snuck up on me and left me with my jaw on the floor re-reading the same sentence over and over again. 

In short if you're looking for a realistic, thrilling mystery or if you're a fan of Alfred Hitchcock or Mary Higgins Clark this book is for you! 

Until next time, 

Ginger  

In compliance with FTC guidelines I am disclosing that this book was given to me for free to review. 

My review is my honest opinion.