Everything, Everything ~ Nicola Yoon

Risk everything . . . for love.

What if you couldn’t touch anything in the outside world? Never breathe in the fresh air, feel the sun warm your face . . . or kiss the boy next door? In Everything, Everything, Maddy is a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world, and Olly is the boy who moves in next door . . . and becomes the greatest risk she’s ever taken. 
My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla. 
 
But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He's tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.
 
Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

Book Review:

The premise of a girl, who is allergic to the world, falling for the boy next door... yeah I am in! It a Sarah Dessen novel mixed with a John Green novel. I was sucked in from the synopsis. 

I am so glad that I picked it up. I could not put it down! I flew through it in 3 days. I had so much hope for the characters. I really resonated with Maddy's personality. And what girl doesn't fall for the dangerous boy at least once? There is just something so appealing about the thrill seeking, mysterious, seemingly dark boy, who you always believe has a good heart that he is hiding from the rest of the world. Now Olly, wasn't that to a T, but he was a thrill seeker and his entire existence was basically a danger for Maddy. 

Now, I won't go into too much detail, but all I will say is that I was skeptical to believe how serious Maddy's situation was. Mainly because I wanted her to have a happily ever after.... I wanted her to see the world that she had been daydreaming about her entire life. I wanted her to be able to love Olly. I wanted a lot...

I am so excited for the movie!!!!!!

Pages: 322                                                                                                                                 Rate: 5/5

Favorite Quote:

“I was trying so hard to find the single pivotal moment that set my life on its path. The moment that answered the question, 'How did I get here?'

But it's never just one moment. It's a series of them. And your life can branch out from each one in a thousand different ways. Maybe there's a version of your life for all the choices you make and all the choices you don't.” 

Me Before You ~ Jojo Moyes

They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

A Love Story for this generation and perfect for fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?

Book Review:

I laughed hysterically. I cried uncontrollably. I was conflicted. I didn't know who's side I was on. And I cried some more. The point of this book for me, wasn't the love story,  though it was adorable and very interesting; the point was that sometimes the meaning of one's life is different from person to another person, sometimes you have to let the person that you love the most go and make their own choices, sometimes you have to accept those choices, even if they are the most painful decisions in the world. 

Louisa kind of annoyed me at first. She had no idea who she was, she had no ambition, and she just seemed lost. I didn't understand her. I didn't relate to her. But as the story progressed, as she took care of Will, as she found her purpose and realized her potential, I began to really enjoy her character. Moving onto Will, I found him interesting from the very beginning. He was such an intelligent, motivated, adventurous, and lively human before his accident. He seemed to have it all until he stepped out in front of a motorcycle. He became depressed and angry and mean as a quadriplegic. I understood his anger and pain, I felt for him, I really did, but at the same time, I yearned for him to just suck it up and make the most of his life. I thought that he was beginning to do that with Louisa.

Will and Louisa's relationship wasn't founded typically. She was his caretaker, he was mean. At first, she couldn't even sit in the same room as him. But eventually, they began to banter and then they began to talk, really talk. It really was love, even before it was declared. It wasn't always romantic but you could still feel the chemistry. It was beautiful. 

************************SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT****************************

When it comes to choosing sides, I have never been good at that. I'm one of those people who tries to understand both sides before I make a decision. In this case, I did the same thing, and then I couldn't come to a decision. After a couple of weeks, I still haven't made up my mind.

Assisted suicide, it's a controversial topic, just like abortion, there is the pro-life side and the pro-choice side. In Will's case, he no longer wanted to be dependent on people, but he would never walk again, he would never be able to feed himself again, or change his own clothes, or bathe himself. He would never be able to do the things he loved again, like climbing mountains and skydiving. Nothing would be the same. His family loved him, and would do anything for him; and therefore, they felt that he should live his new life. Louisa loved him, she loved everything about him, she loved their relationship, and he loved her; but even their love wasn't enough to keep him alive. 

I really did hope that he was becoming happier, seeing the potential of his new life, seeing the potential of his new relationships, as he and Louisa went on all of their excursions; but in the end it wasn't enough. And I cried like a baby who just got a shot. I cried like I had never cried before. 

Favorite Quote:

“You are scored on my heart, Clark. You were from the first day you walked in, with your ridiculous clothes and your complete inability to ever hide a single thing you felt.”  

    

#AYearAThon #Romance Girl Online: On Tour ~ Zoe Sugg (a.k.a Zoella)

Penny joins her rock-star boyfriend on the road in Europe.

When Noah invites Penny on his first-ever European tour, she can’t wait to spend the summer with her rock-god-tastic boyfriend.

But, between Noah’s jam-packed schedule, less-than-welcoming band mates, and threatening messages from jealous fans, Penny wonders whether she’s really cut out for life on tour. She can’t help but miss her family, her best friend Elliot, and her blog, “Girl Online.”

Can Penny learn to balance life and love on the road, or will she lose everything in pursuit of the perfect summer?

Book Review:

It only took me a couple of days to finish this book. Just like the first one, it was a super quick read. I just really wanted to know how things were going to end. Was Penny going to be able to figure out how to date a rockstar boyfriend? Was she going to be able to manage her anxiety on tour? Would she ever start blogging again, publically? Etc. 

I love Noah and Penny's relationship. No matter how big he gets, he really does care for her and she is on his mind. I just really hate the people that come between them. I really do love how Penny finds a frind in Leah Brown while they are on tour because she needs a good female friend. I do wish that Elliot had gotten to go on tour with them though. Oh and I really hate Noah's manager, Dean!!! 

Because this is a second installment I can't say too much without giving anything away so if you have read it, go on to my discussion. If not, read them!!!

Pages: 352                                                                                                                               Rate: 5/5                                                   

Book Discussion: SPOILERS:

Probably the most exciting part for me was the end, when Penny starts blogging publically again. I feel like that was missing so much in this installment. I really missed it. I also really loved how Noah came back to help Alex win Elliot back being as a good part of their break up was because of him. 

So lets discuss Noah and Penny. They were so cute in the beginning but you could also tell that a rocky patch was coming. Noah was becoming this huge success and touring was obviously taking a lot out of him, meaning less time was being spent with Penny. I mean, I really liked that Penny got to explore the cities herself, because with her anxiety, I wasn't sure how comfortable she was going to be doing that and I didn't want her holed up in her room all of the time waiting for Noah. I was really worried about her with TheRealShift mailing them all of that weird blackmail after her phone was stolen. Now I was suspicious about this story line, and rightly so!! 

Noah and Penny's entire break up, courtesy of their already rocky situation and Blake making it worse, that lying bastar, broke my heart. I still pictured that as that sweet little Girl Online and Brooklyn Boy. I wanted those cute moments back again. When she finally texted him to talk while he was in town for a show, I'm pretty sure that I screamed! Then we find out that Dean is TheRealShift and Noah fires him!! I wanted to high five that boy so hard!!! Those entire few pages weree incredible. 

I also love that the ending wasn't definitive. Basically, Penny states that she loves him and that he loves her and somehow they will figure it out together. 

Favorite Quote:

“Sometimes the hero of the fairy tale isn't a handsome prince. Sometimes it's you.” 

I Was Here ~ Gayle Forman

When her best friend, Meg, commits suicide by drinking a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how did she miss the signs of Meg's depression? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, and some secrets of his own. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.

Book Review:

If you want to feel just as frustrated as our main character, then this is a great book!! Cody is grieving the loss of her best friend, and I feel her pain because I don't know what I would do if I lost my best friend right now. But even more so than her pain, she is angry and frustrated that Meg didn't tell her what was going on, that she barely knew anything about Meg's new life. I also hate how isolated she feels from Meg's family. You can tell how much they want her to stay in their lives but you can also tell how painful it is for all of them too. But that is the reality about death, it messes up lives, it fucks with peoples' heads. 

Throughout the entire book, I want Cody to figure out why Meg killed herself. I want Cody to be able to move forward and be happy because the anger just resonates off of her, with each word. I have never lost someone to suicide, but I have a feeling that Forman portrayed the after effects of it so well. You can feel the anger that is trying to cover up the deep depression that just keeps seeping through. You feel just as confused as every single character. You see as all of the other characters move on with their lives while everyone else has to try and make sense of something that will never make sense. It really is just a whirlwind of emotion, as is every Gayle Forman book. 

I really loved the character development of Cody. She went from this angry and confused character whose best friend committed suicide, to this niave girl determined to figure out what happened, to a bold woman ready to move forward. I also loved the development between Cody and her mom. There relationship was terrible in the beginning. She doesn't even call her mom but she calls her by her first name. She states that she practically raised herself with the help of Meg's family and with no help from her nonexistent father. In the end, her mother does whatever she can to help her. She even uses a computer, which she is against, to book a plane ticket for her to rush home. Overall, their relationship, just like the book, is incredible in the end.

Pages: 270                                                                                                                               Rate: 5/5

Book Discussion: SPOILERS:

It takes a while to understand why Meg killed herself. At first, we have no idea why. Then we learn that she had a bad falling out with Ben MacAllister, and automatically assume that he caused it. And then we discover that Meg had found a "Suicide Support" group online, which is where others help you commit suicide, either by supporting your decision or helping you plan it. That is when Cody discovers the person on the group that Meg had been conversing with and sets out to find him and bring him to justice. Well, she eventually does, and Ben drives her across the country to confront this man. It doesn't turn out how I would have expected really. But, the way Cody ends the conversation is great and so real. She brings up how he would feel if someone had helped his son commit suicide and I believe that he even tears up. 

On this trip, she and Ben become even closer. They were fairly close previously and anyone could tell that there was some tension, but I think the fact that they were both dealing with Meg's suicide, just nothing could happen. But once Cody was able to confront the guy who Meg was talking to in the "Suicide Support" group made it easier for both of them. I was actually really excited when they got together, but when he didn't say anything the next morning I was so angry!!! Then Cody's mom comes to the rescue and that warmed my heart a lot. 

When Cody gets back home she tells Meg's family about everything she had done; about finding Meg's emails, then her online correspondence with the "Suicide Support" group, and then her confrontation with that man all the way across the country. That is when we learn the real reason why Meg committed suicide. Apparently Meg had been suffering from depression for years without ever telling Cody. She had been on medication but decided that she didn't need them anymore. This little piece of reality was heartbreaking because this happens so much. That killed me. I just felt so terribly for Cody, but then Ben comes to the rescue. 

Ben had driven all night without stopping to get to Cody and tell her how he felt. It was just so sweet!!!! I loved the ending.

Favorite Quote:

“I'm in love with you, Cody. And I know that this is all complicated and confused in a wholly fucked-up way. Meg's death was a tragedy and the worst kind of waste, but I don't want to lose you because of the fucked-up-way I found you."
"Fucking Ben McCallister. You make me cry more than almost any person I've ever met."
"I shed a few tears myself last night.” 

“...Sleepovers and dance parties and those talks we would have until three in the morning that would make us feel lousy the next day because we’d slept like hell but also feel good because the talks were like blood transfusions, moments of realness and hope that were pinpricks of light in the dark fabric of small-town life.” 

Valentine's Day: Top 30 Romantic Reads

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!!! If you are single or in a relationship, it doesn't matter; everyone likes a good romance book every now and then. I really love reading them this time of year because even when I have to put the book down there are hearts, cupcakes, chocolates, and other lovey-dovey things everywhere!! Here are my Top 30ish Romantic Reads, not in any particular order.

1. Girl Online duology by Zoe Sugg
• These are the first two novels released by the sensational beauty guru from Youtube, a.k.a. Zoella. She deals with anxiety, as do I, and so does the main character in the novel but her rockstar boyfriend helps her through it all as they both figure themselves out and love eachother. 
2. A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
• Bad boy turns good boy to be with the preachers daughter. LOTS OF TEARS!! In my opinion the best of all of Nicholas Sparks's book that I have ever read. 
3. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
• Ronnie, our main character, has a rocky relationship with her father, where she and her younger brother are staying for the summer. But she does meet the guy of her dreams, who changes her pessimistic perspective on life.  
4. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
• A young couple from different parts of the social scale. 
5. Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare
• Their families hate each other but they get married anyway. Lots of people die. Romeo is exiled. Sleeping potions. Failed letters. Two families lose everything. 
6. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
• A lot like the forementioned, A Walk to Remember, but minus the bad boy and plus two sick kids falling in love, traveling to Amsterdam, meeting a jerk of a human being, and growing up. 
7. Paper Towns by John Green
• A story of revenge and friendship. Two seniors who have known each other since grade school fall back into each other's' lives, kind of unexpectedly. 
8. Looking For Alaska by John Green
• Pudge, is this awkward kid who is just trying to figure out how to be social. Alaska, is this badass, bookworm. Set in a boarding school with too many adventures to count and a whole new level of sarcasm and humor that I have never found anywhere else. 
9. Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen
• Girl lives a secret night life with a boy who has mysteries of  his own. 
10. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
• Just another love story with a girl and her music-obsessed boyfriend who is more than determined to make her happy. 
11. Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
• Sydney is just trying to figure out her family's issues after everything that happened with her brother, who has always been the apple of her parents eyes, when she falls into a group of people that will change her life forever.  
12. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
• A socially awkward twin, struggling with anxiety, worried about her father, wondering what is going on with her twin, dating a new guy, trying to get by in college, and continuing to be obsessed with her fictional world. 
13. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
• The fictional world that the main character in Fangirl is obsessed with, resembles Harry Potter in a lot of ways but with a huge romantic relationship. 
14. Shatter Me  trilogy by Tahereh Mafi
• Juliette is just trying to figure out her powers and be around people after years of being in isolation when Adam and Warner come into her life and change it forever. 
15. The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks
• A sweet southern romance. Girl meets bull rider who is just trying to save his mothers farm even if it kills him, which it very well could. 
16. Conquering Chaos by Tyler Baltierra and Catelynn Lowell
• The Teen Mom OG couple's memoir on their love story and their most difficult decision to give their first daughter up for adoption. 
17. The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy by Jenny Han
• She has known these two brothers her entire life. It's the summer before college and a lot has changed. Their mother has died and it's the first time that they have been back to the beach house since. 
18. To All The Boys I Loved Before duology by Jenny Han
• For every boy that she has loved, she has written and addressed a letter to never send them, but to keep them in a safe box, packed away to never be read... until they are sent out and read. 
19. Safe Haven  by Nicholas Sparks
• As Katie runs from her abusive husband under a new identity she falls in love with a wonderful man and his kids, until her past comes to haunt her. 
20. The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
• He found her picture when he was in Iraq and now he is living in her guest house and training dogs. 
21. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
• They meet and fall in love, then two weeks later he is shipped to Iraq. 
22. Water for Elephants by Sara Greun
• The memories of a 90 year old man who used to work as a stable boy in a circus and how he fell in love with one of the headliners. 
23. Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer
• Two high schoolers. One girl living with her father in a small town. One vampire living in the same small town with his vampire family. 
24. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• A group of friends just trying to figure their lives out and the main character has to also deal with entering highschool while the others prepare to leave. 
25.  Lock & Key by Sarah Dessen
• An independent girl who is finally able to have a family and... maybe something more with the boy next door. 
26.  The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
• A girl who had her summer planned but it all changes when she gets a new job that she  happens to love as well as coworkers who happen to soon be her best friends. 
27.  Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
• Starting their senior year ina  boarding school in Paris, Isla and Josh have to figure out their relationship and their future, together and apart. 
28.  What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
• Is Mclean ready to figure out who she is with the help of a boy?
29. Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead
• Two friends who have a strange bond get dragged back to school and happen too find some complicated love interests in their already complicated lives.
30. Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead
• The spin-off of Vampire Academy. It follows the Alchemist, Sydney, and a Morio, Adrian, as they try to protect the Queen's younger sister. 

Let It Snow ~ Maureen Johnson, John Green, & Lauren Myracle

An ill-timed storm on Christmas Eve buries the residents of Gracetown under multiple feet of snow and causes quite a bit of chaos. One brave soul ventures out into the storm from her stranded train and sets of a chain of events that will change quite a few lives. Over the next three days one girl takes a risky shortcut with an adorable stranger, three friends set out to a win a race to the Waffle House (and the hash brown spoils), and the fate of a teacup pig falls into the hands of a lovesick barista. 

A trio of today's bestselling authors - John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle - brings all the magic of the holidays to life in three hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and kisses that will steal your breath away. 

Book Review:

I will be giving a review for each of the stories individually and then the novel as a whole.

The Jubilee Express ~ Maureen Johnson

 This was the first work of writing that I have ever read by Johnson and it certainly won't be the last. I loved every second of it. I loved how our main character, Jubilee, introduced herself in the beginning, how she described events in such a blunt manner, and how even though she knew something wasn't going to work she had to try anyway. I loved how she was just a normal girl, because sometimes in stories, the main character has to have some extraordinary detail about them, Jubilee doesn't. 

Rate: 5/5

A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle ~ John Green

This was not a bad story, but I have come to expect so much more from John's writing that it wasn't my favorite. I expected more raw emotion and more depth. One thing that I have come to love from his writing was still very evident throughout and it's this strange humor. It's a humor that isn't outwardly funny unless you are a bit nerdier and profound when it comes to your comedy. I love it. It's something that I really began to notice in Looking For Alaska and have been able to find in everything that he writes since then. I did like the character development in this story, though.

Rate: 3/5

The Patron Saint of Pigs ~ Lauren Myracle

I had never read anything by Myracle before this story and in all honesty, it wasn't my favorite. Her writing style was okay and the story was interesting and funny, but it didn't have that extra something that I was hoping for. The constant bickering between the main character and one of her 'friends' really irritated me. All I could think was, "why don't you drop this bimbo from your friends list? She disrespects you, invalidates your feelings, and complains that you make everything about you when she is doing that very same thing. Ugh." It just wasn't great.  

  Rate: 3/5

Full Book:     Pages:352                                                    Rate: 4/5

The Longest Ride ~ Nicholas Sparks

Ira Levinson is in trouble. Ninety-one years old and stranded and injured after a car crash, he struggles to retain consciousness until a blurry image materializes beside him: his beloved wife, Ruth, who passed away nine years ago. Urging him to hang on, she forces him to remain alert by reminiscing about their lifetime together. Ira knows that Ruth can't possibly be in the car with him, but he clings to her words and his memories. 

A few miles away, at a local bull-riding event, university senior Sophia Danko meets a young cowboy named Luke. Through Luke, Sophia is introduced to a world in which the stakes are high: Reward and ruin - and even life and death - loom large in everyday life. As she and Luke fall in love, Sophia finds herself imagining a future far removed from her plans - if the secret Luke's keeping doesn't destroy it first.

Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples who have little in common and who are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys. 

Book Review:

Every time that I have read a book by Nicholas Sparks, I have cried. I reread A Walk to Remember often and every time I ball like a little baby. I've done the same with The Lucky One, Dear John, The Last Song, etc. He has been one of my favorite  authors for years and I have loved every book of his that I have read and this one was no exception. 

I wasn't as big of a fan of Ira's chapters as I was Sophia's and Luke's but I believe that that may be because I was scared of reading the moment that we discover if he lives or dies in the car. Also, because Sophia reminds me a lot of myself (even though I have grown up in a remote area I feel that I would be better off in a city) I really loved her relationship with Luke, whose character is exactly the type of person I am interested in.

I loved that for the majority of the novel there really isn't any conflict between the couples. Ira and Ruth argue a bit about the past, but other than that they are just happy to be together again. Sophia and Luke don't really have any problems but the one that comes up later in the book and is resolved a couple of chapters later. I like when novels are like that because it doesn't cause me to scream and yell at my book from all of the frustration that these fictional worlds inflict upon me.

Overall, I really loved the romance (that wasn't sappy at all) and how the main characters kind of discover bits of themselves through their relationships together, I also am really freaking happy with the ending.

Pages: 398                                                                                           Rate: 5/5

Book Discussion: SPOILERS:

Brian, Sophia's ex, makes me really uncomfortable. I mean, I think that that was the point, but he just makes me want to curl up in a ball. He is so demanding and controlling and violent just from the few scenes that he is in. His entire character and that relationship was really unsettling to me.

I loved how Luke and Sophia were flirting from the moment he saved her from Brian and how they were both realizing that what they were saying and doing was something that they would never normally do. I feel that that is what a relationship is actually supposed to do to you, if you are with the right person anyway. You are supposed to feel and do things completely out of the ordinary for you but that somehow make you feel like whatever you're doing is perfectly right.

Ira and Ruth, they are the couple that I have always loved hearing stories about. The couple who knew from the second that they saw each other that they'd be together forever, even with the ups and downs. The couple who married young just because they were so in love and knew that no one else would ever compare. I wish that Ira and Ruth were able to have children because they would have been amazing parents. But the story that they were able to create out of their childless lives was amazing. The artwork and the people they affected left an impact on the future. Certainly on Luke and Sophia.

When Luke bought that painting in the end I was so excited. Even if him acquiring the whole estate didn't happen, I would have loved it because of what the story meant. But the actual ending made my day. I truly loved how it changed everything for Luke, Sophia, and Luke's mom. They were able to save the ranch and figure out what they wanted to do with their lives. I wish that there was a sequel to this book, which I don't say about many of Spark's books (because normally I'm super content with the endings), just so we could know what happens to Luke and Sophia after they fix up the ranch and get married.

Do they have kids? Where do they move? What does Luke end up doing now that he isn't bull-riding? How is Luke's mom?

Favorite Quote:

"I understand Ira."

Shatter Me ~ Tahereh Mafi

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war– and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: BE A WEAPON OR BE A WARRIOR.

Book Review:

I started Shatter Me last night and finished it this afternoon because it was so amazing. Mafi's words in this novel are just riveting and captivating and beautiful. The plot is so intriguing, you just want to know what everything means and what is going to happen next. Juliette's thoughts are gorgeously expressed and I love how she crosses her thoughts out as we do before we speak; we think one thing but say something completely different. 

The entire book was full of twists and turns. There was also a romantic element dispersed throughout the whole "running for their lives" thing. Juliette, though she has this unwanted power of a touch that can kill, was really just like every other 17 year old girl. She wants to have relations with people, she wants to fall in love, she wants to be accepted. Adam was just this amazingly brave 17 year old boy who will do anything to keep his 10 year old brother, James, and Juliette safe. 

The world that this story is set in, seems to be more futuristic, close to the end of the word type thing. Everything is dying off, oxygen is depleted, and there are no real  seasons. It is just so interesting and I love that Mafi doesn't really explain it because it gives you room to imagine and re-imagine as new information is presented to you. 

I'm excited to read the rest of the series along with the novellas. I will be reading the novellas in the places that they are supposed to be read. So I will be reading the first novella, Destroy Me, before reading the next book in the trilogy, Unravel Me.

Pages: 338                                                                             Rate: 5/5

Book Discussion: SPOILERS:

The story is kind of hard to explain to someone who hasn't read the novel without giving away absolutely everything. It's one of those books that when you talk about it you have to say everything otherwise you are going to completely lose the person in the process. So, if this makes no sense, blame the wonderful writings of Tahereh Mafi.

When Juliette touches people, she puts them in serious pain but they can't pull away because she has to be the one to separate them. There are some days where I could really use that power but I don't think that I would be able to live with it. Could you live your everyday life without human contact, without being able to hug the ones you love, kiss your significant other, pet your dog? I know that I wouldn't be able to do that. 

Adam is a boy that Juliette knew before she was locked away. They never talked but she has always loved him. And years after she was locked away they are reunited and we learn that he is immune to her touch. Their relationship is pure beauty. They would give up anything and everything to be together. 

James, Adam's 10 year old brother, has been living on his own since Adam joined the Army. Adam set him up in an orphanage compound with his own room and an older woman, Benny, checks in on him for Adam. But this kid has seen and experienced more than we even know and it shows when he is reunited with Adam. 

Warner is an asshole. That's all I will even say about him because I hate him so much. He disgusts me. 

I loved the ending. So far I love the compound that they are at and that there are other people with powers, none like Juliette's, but powers nonetheless. 

Favorite Quote:

 "My face is in his hands and my lips are at his lips and he's kissing me and I'm oxygen and he's dying to breathe."

I love the passion of their relationship.