I Was Here - Gayle Forman

Goodreads summary:

Cody and Meg were inseparable.
Two peas in a pod.
Until . . . they weren’t anymore.

When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? 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, who broke Meg’s heart. 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.

I Was Here is Gayle Forman at her finest, a taut, emotional, and ultimately redemptive story about redefining the meaning of family and finding a way to move forward even in the face of unspeakable loss.


My review:

4.5/5

So, so, so, so good!!

While I didn't really like If I Stay, I Was Here hit me hard. It made me experience such a wide variety of emotions that I didn't even know I could feel and I loved it.

I loved Cody, the main character. Unlike Mia, who I couldn't really relate to in If I Stay, Cody was a very relatable character for me. I could feel some of her anger, guilt and grief and it made the story much more important to me. Since I have a best friend that I can't imagine living without, having lived most of my life with her by my side, I could imagine a tiny bit of what Cody must feel after her best friend committed suicide, which sounds simply terrible. Her reactions are completely understandable to me, even if I didn't approve all of them. I liked how realistic and not totally likeable she could be, which made me like her even more.

Her friendship with Meg is also very realistic, from the beginning to the end. I could see why they became friends and why they fell apart, which is something that happens often when friends grow up. I'm already terrified to go through something like that with my own best friend, so reading about someone who grew apart from her best friend and then lost her forever scared me even more. It's easy to see why Cody would feel so guilty after Meg's suicide and why she would want to find out what pushed her to do it, but I admired her determination through her quest. Cody's relationship with Meg's parents is a part of the book that I loved, because it's heartbreaking and touching.

Finally, Ben and Cody's relationship was a rollercoaster, but I loved it. I wasn't sure if I approved of Cody's actions, but as the story progressed, I could see things falling into place.

I definitely recommend this book. Whether you liked If I Stay or not, I think you would like this book.

Lying Out Loud (The DUFF #2) - Kody Keplinger

Goodreads summary:

Sonny Ardmore is an excellent liar. She lies about her dad being in prison. She lies about her mom kicking her out. And she lies about sneaking into her best friend's house every night because she has nowhere else to go.

Amy Rush might be the only person Sonny shares everything with - secrets, clothes, even a nemesis named Ryder Cross. Ryder's the new kid at Hamilton High and everything Sonny and Amy can't stand - a prep-school snob. But Ryder has a weakness: Amy. So when Ryder emails Amy asking her out, the friends see it as a prank opportunity not to be missed.

But without meaning to, Sonny ends up talking to Ryder all night online. And to her horror, she realizes that she might actually 'like' him. Only there's one small catch: he thinks he's been talking to Amy. So Sonny comes up with an elaborate scheme to help Ryder realize that she's the girl he's really wanted all along. Can Sonny lie her way to the truth, or will all her lies end up costing her both Ryder and Amy?

My review:

4/5

OOOOOOOH I ACTUALLY LOVED THIS! I've been meaning to read this for a long time, but I never got around to it. I'm glad I finally did!

As someone who values authenticity and honesty, I knew this book could be something I either love or despise. I was seriously hoping that I wouldn't read about a shallow character who never improves, but I knew from The Duff that Kody Keplinger is great with character development, which is why I went into this book not too scared. I didn't really understand Sonny's lying habit at first, which annoyed me, but this book was so addicting that it didn't even matter to me. I'm glad that this whole crazy thing about pretending to be Amy when she's talking to Ryder online started out as an honest mistake, because I don't think I could've taken it if it had just been out if jealousy or a joke.

I loved Sonny and Ryder's banter. Their chemistry is evident and I loved seeing them realize they had been wrong about the other person. They're both interesting characters with an interesting (to say the least) relationship and I can see why they want to be together, unlike some YA novels. They both help each other out and it makes a major improvement on their lives. Since I loved their relationship so much, I found it hard to continue reading at some point, because I had no idea how it could end well and I was kind of terrified.

I broke down when I learned Sonny's story. I knew something huge must have happened to her to make her want to lie so much, but I never really knew what to expect. Her dad being in prison was already something big, but I didn't expect to be so affected by her story. I cried and cried and cried, but I think this part of the story might have been my favourite. I couldn't stop reading and I loved how Amy and Sonny tried to save their friendship. I had hated how Sonny had been treating her best friend, but I know for a fact that it made both of them grow up a lot and I loved them even more at the end of the story.

In this book, you won't find a perfect, lovable character with an amazing life, but sometimes, it's even better that way.

Catching Jordan (Hundred Oaks) - Miranda Kenneally

Goodreads summary:

ONE OF THE BOYS

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.

But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line?


My review:

4/5

Catching Jordan is about football, boys, first crushes and love. If that doesn't scream "perfect summer read", then I don't know what does.

Even though an entire football team is a lot of characters for a single book, Miranda Kenneally managed to make me remember the most important of them and love them to no end. I swear, if any of those teenage boys came to life right now, I'd want to date him without any doubt. Instead of being the usual stupid football players, each of the characters have a distinct personality, with qualities, passions and quirks. I discovered them as caring, kind and protective of Jordan, not only because she's a girl, but because they love her - not all in a platonic way. JJ is probably my favourite supporting character, because his dinners with Jordan always ended up surprising me. Of all the main characters, Henry was my favourite, because I love how he knows everything about Jordan and he doesn't care about looking stupid.

Although I have to admit I didn't understand much about it, I loved how important football is in this story. Books centered around a passion always make me want to work harder with mine and do everything I can to get better. Jordan's determination inspires me and I wish I had as much of it as she does. She makes great sacrifices because of her dreams and she doesn't care about the risks, except when they are about her football career. I liked reading about a teenage girl with so much courage.

I liked how feminism is important in this book, because girls playing football must not have an easy life. In fact, I was surprised that Jordan would play against boys, because it must be really dangerous, even though Jordan seems to endure it pretty well. Her difficulties when trying to find a college sounded very realistic and I enjoyed watching her realize many things about what she wants and what she doesn't want.

The thing I enjoyed the least was probably Jordan's relationship with Ty, because there isn't much to his character and he annoyed me. Also, I don't like when a girl starts acting in such a girly way because of a guy, no matter if she's already girly or not, because I think it simply looks stupid. 

I enjoyed reading this novel and I think if you're looking for a summer book, this one would be a great choice.

The Boys Next Door - Jennifer Echols

Goodreads summary:

Lori lives for summertime on the lake. She spends all season wakeboarding, swimming, and hanging with her friends—including the two hotties in the house next door. With the Vader brothers, Lori's always been one of the guys. 

But while Lori and the "baby" brother, Adam, are inseparable friends, she can't deny a secret crush on Sean, the older Vader boy. This year Sean's been paying Lori a lot of attention, and not in a brotherly way.

But just as Lori decides to prove to Sean she's girlfriend material, she realizes that her role as girlfriend to Adam may be even more important. And by trying so hard for the perfect summer romance, she could be going way overboard....


My review:

4/5

Need an adorable book? Here you go!

This novel is sweet, funny and light-hearted, which we all know is something we crave for once in a while. It's predictable, but mostly because that's the way we want it to end, too. The only thing that really made me cringe was the ending, because it's too cheesy, even for me, which is something you won't here me say often. However, I still loved reading this novel and I'm convinced Jennifer Echols is one of the best cheesy writers out there - in a good way. 

I'm warning all of you about the cheesiness, but if that's what you need, pick this book up right now and you won't regret it.