Dream a Little Dream (Silber #1) - Kerstin Gier

Goodreads summary:

Mysterious doors with lizard-head knobs. Talking stone statues. A crazy girl with a hatchet. Yes, Liv's dreams have been pretty weird lately. Especially the one where she's in a graveyard at night, watching four boys conduct dark magic rituals.

The strangest part is that Liv recognizes the boys in her dream. They're classmates from her new school in London, the school where she's starting over because her mom has moved them to a new country (again). But what's really scaring Liv is that the dream boys seem to know things about her in real life, things they couldn't possibly know--unless they actually are in her dreams? Luckily, Liv never could resist a good mystery, and all four of those boys are pretty cute....

My review:

4/5

Oh, I can't wait to read more of this series! 

While I didn't know that it was about such a young character, especially since I wanted to read this book because of Ruby Red, I really enjoyed my time reading. I wouldn't say it's as good as the Precious Stones trilogy (because this one is incredible and one of my all-time favourites), but it had potential, so I'm really excited to know what happens next. 

I was surprised by the theme of this book, because I only expected something magical or fantastic, not demoniac. It was really interesting and different from what I usually read, so that was a nice surprise. I liked the doors in people's dreams and all the story created within them, because it's such an awesome idea. 

I do wish the characters were older, because it's a bit hard for me to relate. Also, sometimes, they feel mature to me, but then they do something that reminds me of their age, so that's really confusing. It was a bit hard for me to see them as they really are and it had an impact on my reading experience, as much as I wanted to ignore their age. I don't know if it's simply because of that, but I also couldn't understand the main characters really well and like them as I normally would, because I wasn't always sure of their motives. I spent most of my time trying to get past everyone's barriers and it annoyed me quite a bit. 

Overall, the plot interests me enough to make me want to continue reading this series, especially since I love this author, but this book didn't quite reach my expectations.

I'll Meet You There - Heather Demetrios

Goodreads summary:

If seventeen-year-old Skylar Evans were a typical Creek View girl, her future would involve a double-wide trailer, a baby on her hip, and the graveyard shift at Taco Bell. But after graduation, the only thing standing between straightedge Skylar and art school are three minimum-wage months of summer. Skylar can taste the freedom—that is, until her mother loses her job and everything starts coming apart. Torn between her dreams and the people she loves, Skylar realizes everything she’s ever worked for is on the line.

Nineteen-year-old Josh Mitchell had a different ticket out of Creek View: the Marines. But after his leg is blown off in Afghanistan, he returns home, a shell of the cocksure boy he used to be. What brings Skylar and Josh together is working at the Paradise—a quirky motel off California’s dusty Highway 99. Despite their differences, their shared isolation turns into an unexpected friendship and soon, something deeper.


My review:

5/5 (all the stars in the world)

Oh, how I've been dying to read this book. AND RIGHTLY SO!

Really, I loved this book. It's the kind that I will have to reread at some point, because I adored it. It made me cry (sob, wail, tear up, name it) and I was a wreck, simply because of how sad the story is. I must admit I wasn't expecting this, since I just wanted another adorable love story to distract me from school, and while it was exactly that, it was also so, so, so much more. It touches subjects I don't usually read about, which is awesome and really brave.

I loved how the characters both have burdens. There's none of that "my love will save you" crap that some (read: many) YA books promote, which I found quite surprising. It's more realistic to have two broken characters mending themselves together than one perfectly fine character helping the other one out, so even my mind couldn't make me dislike this book because of a lack of probability. I was heartbroken by both of the characters' stories and as I'm writing this, way too long after I finished reading this novel, I still remember countless details about it and I think about it more than ever. It made me see more of a universe I never knew, so I'm glad I read it. 

The love story develops itself beautifully, really. I felt so many emotions while reading this book that anyone talking to me during this time would've thought I was the one falling in love, because I was, in a way, with their romance. It was deliciously complicated and realistic and heartbreaking yet heartmending, which made me want to cry and dance and scream. For some reason, from the very first moment I heard about this book, I knew it would be like that, so I'm really happy that, for once, my intuition was right. 

If you're looking for a cute YA book dealing with darker subjects, I would recommend this a thousand times. It's definitely one of my favourites now.

Butterfly Dreams - A. Meredith Walters

Goodreads summary:

In a powerful romance for fans of The Fault in Our Stars and If I Stay, New York Times bestselling author A. Meredith Walters tells the story of a troubled young woman and the unforgettable guy who teaches her to live—and love—to the fullest.

She’s waiting to die. . . . Corin Thompson is paralyzed by her obsession with mortality. Having lost both of her parents, she is terrified by the idea that she too will die young, and she loses control at any sign of illness. But when Corin connects with someone who has survived a very real brush with death, she begins to see the world in a whole new way.

He’s learning to live. . . . As Corin struggles under the weight of her neuroses, Beckett Kingsley is attempting to rebuild a life that feels all too temporary. With the ever-present threat of heart failure never far from his mind, he just wants to make the most of whatever time he has left. And that means pursuing the girl he never expected to find.

Together, Corin and Beckett finally learn to let go of their fears and take solace in everyday pleasures. Who knows what the future holds? After all, nothing lasts forever—the only promise they have is right now.


My review:

4/5

There are some books that you just know are going to be good. When I picked this one up, that's exactly the feeling I had, and I was not disappointed. 

While I was expecting some sort of love story, I was surprised to find that this story is more about Corin's mental illness. It wasn't a bad surprise at all, because her character development is absolutely insane. She goes from an unstable character in denial to an amazing woman who's been through many things and is now much stronger. It was great seeing her change so much while staying true to herself. Also, I loved discovering more about hyponcondriac people, because I don't know much about this illness. My mother's cousin has it, but I haven't seen her for a couple of years now and her mental state was just confusing to me then. Now, I feel like I understand a lot more about how she must have felt, because part of the story is told in Corin's perspective and she has to go through this every day. 

That being said, I still really enjoyed reading about her and Beck's love story. They're the cutest together and I loved reading what Beck thought of her, because he's the only one who can see her for who she really is, which I found amazing. They never give up on each other and I wish there were more stories like that, where the characters are always there for each other and they become strong as a whole. Beck's past (and present, to be honest) is very sad, especially since he was such an active person and he had to give up on anything close to exercice. I may not be like him, but with the way his feelings were explained, I really felt like I understood precisely how hard it was for him. I'm glad he gets better with Corin, because it shows how being together fights back their issues. 

Overall, this story is really great. I loved every page of it and I'm glad I got to read such an awesome book. 

(Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)