Carry On - Rainbow Rowell

Goodreads summary:

Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe. Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story — but far, far more monsters.


My review:

4.5/5

I'm usually not the biggest Fantasy fan. I do love some classics, but it's not my favourite genre. However, I knew I had to read this, because it's from Rainbow Rowell (my queen). I'm so glad I did, because the second I opened this book, I could not stop reading. 

It's written in the amazing way Rainbow Rowell creates stories, so it's very realistic and full of complex characters. I loved how every single one of them is special and interesting, but then again, it shouldn't be a surprise. I didn't know this book was written in different points of vue, but I'm so glad it is. It made me discover the main characters much more than I would've otherwise and I actually discovered the big mystery early in the story because of those different perspectives. I fell in love with Simon, Baz, and Penny from the beginning. They're all quirky and loveable, even though Baz is considered as an enemy for most of the book. I wish I could have Simon and Penny's friendship, because they're such adorable friends that I found myself wishing I could be a part of it. 

I know some people complain about this book's resemblance to the Harry Potter series. Obviously, the link between those two is there, but once you get into the story, you discover that it's a much different universe. I do wish that this would be a series, since a single book isn't much to create a complex world of magic, but I did get an idea of what it looked like and it's quite a lot different from Harry Potter. As Rainbow Rowell says, this book is more about being the "Chosen One" (which must suck, to be honest), and I think that this, with the fact that it's set at a wizarding school, explains how similar it can be to Harry Potter. 

The main point that I am not too keen on is the mystery of this story. As I said before, I found out quite early what it was, which disappointed me a little. I thought it was so obvious and I'm not even the kind of person who guesses easily what's about to happen. I couldn't believe it when I read one of the hints in the story, because I don't think it could've been more obvious. I still loved this book, so it wasn't too big of a deal for me. 

I really liked the romance in this book, even though I think Simon wasn't too invested in it. I get that it's just him going with the flow, but I wish there had been more realization of it on his part. Nonetheless, it was adorable and it fit really well with the story. It's different from most love stories in Fantasy for many reasons and I loved it. 

Overall, I think this is a fantastic book. I haven't enjoyed one this much in a long while, so I had a great time reading it. I'd absolutely recommend it, no matter what part of it interests you the most. It's the kind of book that can please many types of readers, in my opinion.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Persuasion - Jane Austen

Goodreads summary:

Twenty-seven-year old Anne Elliot is Austen's most adult heroine. Eight years before the story proper begins, she is happily betrothed to a naval officer, Frederick Wentworth, but she precipitously breaks off the engagement when persuaded by her friend Lady Russell that such a match is unworthy. The breakup produces in Anne a deep and long-lasting regret. When later Wentworth returns from sea a rich and successful captain, he finds Anne's family on the brink of financial ruin and his own sister a tenant in Kellynch Hall, the Elliot estate. All the tension of the novel revolves around one question: Will Anne and Wentworth be reunited in their love?

Jane Austen once compared her writing to painting on a little bit of ivory, 2 inches square. Readers of Persuasion will discover that neither her skill for delicate, ironic observations on social custom, love, and marriage nor her ability to apply a sharp focus lens to English manners and morals has deserted her in her final finished work.

My review:

5/5

SO. DAMN. CUTE. It think this might be my favourite Jane Austen novel, because it's pretty much the cutest thing I've ever read. I absolutely loved the story and the characters. All of them felt real and amazing to me, even with their mistakes and flaws. The love story is insanely good and it made me want to put both characters in front of each other and force them to kiss right from the beginning. I couldn't count how many times I got this fuzzy feeling when something cute happens because it's a slow progress and it keeps getting more and more adorable. I loved Anne's character (which I always seem to do, since my favourite book is Anne of Green Gables) because of how mature she is. She made a mistake in the past when she rejected Frederic because of her friends and family's disagreement, but she realizes and she knows she wouldn't do the same thing if she were in the same situation now. I loved how she regrets it, but she also knows that it was the right decision. It made her heartbreak even worse, because it was the right decision to make, even though it meant the end of her happiness. One thing I admired in this book was the loyalty. It's been years since Anne and Frederic were first engaged, yet there's something special between them after years of seperation that can't be unseen. It's the most loyal love that I have ever seen and it made me so happy and giddy to see them slowly get back on speaking terms. Once more, Jane Austen has written an amazing love story that kept me waiting for more. I would VERY highly recommend!

Distraction (Westbrook #1) - Laura Clark

Goodreads summary:

Seventeen-near-old, Laila Patterson, would never describe her heart as fickle. She understands the difference between reality and fantasy, which is why Sam Woodson is not realistic boyfriend material. After all, he is in college, and college boys simply do not date high school girls. Plus, he is Laila’s older brother’s best friend. According to the unspoken bro-code, messing around with your friend’s little sister is pretty high on the list of forbidden taboos.

What happens when Laila discovers that her secret crush on Sam isn’t quite so one-sided? What if the only way to keep him is to keep their relationship hush-hush? Is Sam worth all of the lying and sneaking around?

As if things weren’t confusing enough with Sam, an old family friend suddenly shows up after being gone for more than three years. She isn't expecting Trevor Maddox to move back to Westbrook. She isn't expecting him to attend her high school, and she certainly isn't expecting him to be so damned gorgeous.

Laila doesn't want or need this unexpected distraction. . . or does she?

My review:

Quite a quick, fun read! I started this book knowing there would probably be a love triangle of some kind, but I never expected to fall for a particular character the way I did... It's actually the opposite of what I was expecting! No matter what this character could do or say, I loved him from the very beginning and I adored his chemistry with Laila. However, I quickly got tired of the triangle aspect of this love story. I've never been a hue fan of those anyways, so that was a given, but I gue3/5 Quite a quick, fun read! I started this book knowing there would probably be a love triangle of some kind, but I never expected to fall for a particular character the way I did... It's actually the opposite of what I was expecting! No matter what this character could do or say, I loved him from the very beginning and I adored his chemistry with Laila. However, I quickly got tired of the triangle aspect of this love story. I've never been a hue fan of those anyways, so that was a given, but I guess I hopef it would change my mind. I wanted to shout at Laila every time she was with the character I didn't want her to be with, because it was very clear in my mind who should be her boyfriend. I understood her being jealous of Avery to some extent, because I know what it's like to be best friends with a gorgeous girl, but I disliked how she acted because she simply couldn't make up her mind. I'm guessing that it's all because I would have stopped all relationships, if I had been in her place, instead of being confused and having misplaced thoughts all the time. I know it can't be everyone's reaction, but there were times when I simply couldn't stand it. I do think this is a lovely story, even though there were parts that felt out of place. There are sentences, and even chapters, that feel a bit like they're out of a textbook, because it's like they want us to think about them, but in an obvious way. Their message is good, but they're just not subtle enough, I guess. I think the entire world, like the characters and the places, created by the author is brilliant, though. Thank you Laura Clark for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Extraordinary Means - Robyn Schneider

Goodreads summary:

From the author of The Beginning of Everything: two teens with a deadly disease fall in love on the brink of a cure.

At seventeen, overachieving Lane finds himself at Latham House, a sanatorium for teens suffering from an incurable strain of tuberculosis. Part hospital and part boarding school, Latham is a place of endless rules and confusing rituals, where it's easier to fail breakfast than it is to flunk French.

There, Lane encounters a girl he knew years ago. Instead of the shy loner he remembers, Sadie has transformed. At Latham, she is sarcastic, fearless, and utterly compelling. Her friends, a group of eccentric troublemakers, fascinate Lane, who has never stepped out of bounds his whole life. And as he gradually becomes one of them, Sadie shows him their secrets: how to steal internet, how to sneak into town, and how to disable the med sensors they must wear at all times.

But there are consequences to having secrets, particularly at Latham House. And as Lane and Sadie begin to fall in love and their group begins to fall sicker, their insular world threatens to come crashing down. 

Told in alternating points of view, Extraordinary Means is a darkly funny story about doomed friendships, first love, and the rare miracle of second chances.


My review:

5/5

AWWW MAN THAT WAS SAD!!! But I loved it. 

I was instantly attracted to the illness part of this book, which sounded really interesting and futuristic to me (even though I know it isn't). It's scary, but I like to think about living such a sad life and being in this world, as similar as it is to ours, except for the illness. The sadness of these kids' destiny hit me really hard, with all the similarities to summer camp that their quarantine camp has. Comparing to opposite things like that makes the whole situation even more weird, desperate and tragic, which is why I could basically not sleep until I finished this book.

Although it wasn't the most important point in this novel for me, I really liked the romance in this book. I loved how Sadie and Lane pretty much always liked each other, which sounds very fairy-tale-like to me (I'm aware that it's pretty much the opposite). Their love provided them with comfort when they needed it the most, which is one of the reasons why their relationship worked so well, in my opinion. Their late-night phone calls are the most adorable thing ever, especially to me, who's basically a phone calls lover. It sounds really romantic and if a guy ever did that with me, you can be assured he'd be the one I'd want to marry. 

I think the most important theme in this book is probably growing up, in general. Lane represents those of us who live for good grades and won't have a moment to rest until we've done everything we could to succeed, which is really useless if you want to have a happy life, like Lane realized. This character development is amazing, because he went from someone who'd die instead of not applying to college to someone who spends hours on the phone with his girlfriend instead of studying. Also, making good friends and sticking with them is another lesson learned by Lane and the new friends he makes, especially for them, who never know when their last day might be. This tragic way to live reinforced their friendships, in my opinion, because they were forced to see how much their friends matter to them and spend as much quality time as they can. It's a nice philosophy, even though it's created by a sad situation.

I pretty much enjoyed everything in this book, so I'd highly recommend it.

Cheesy Novel Recommendations

I'm the kind of person who thinks way too much and ends up really tired at the end of the day. Whether I'm tired from school, from work, from meeting new people, from exercising, from worrying or from life in general, I need ways to energize other than sleep, since I can't possibly just go home and sleep for 20 hours every day.  My favorite way to compensate for a draining day is simply to curl up on my bed with a good light-hearted book, a cup of tea, a scented candle burning in the corner of my room and soft music playing. During these moments, I don't look for complicated dystopian novels or huge classics, but cheesy YA books. Those are basically my addiction, as well as my guilty pleasure. I just love to read swoon-worthy, heart-warming and short books that will lift my spirits and make me all giddy and happy again. I know these might not be everyone else's taste, but believe me:  some of them are true gems. Here's my list of recommendations in no particular order.



Since You've Been Gone
Morgan Matson



It was Sloane who yanked Emily out of her shell and made life 100% interesting. But right before what should have been the most epic summer, Sloane just…disappears. All she leaves behind is a to-do list.
On it, thirteen Sloane-inspired tasks that Emily would normally never try. But what if they could bring her best friend back?
Apple picking at night? Okay, easy enough.
Dance until dawn? Sure. Why not?
Kiss a stranger? Um...
Emily now has this unexpected summer, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected), to check things off Sloane's list. Who knows what she’ll find?
Go skinny-dipping? Wait...what?









These Are the Moments
Jenny Bravo

You can't go back.
You can't go back.
You can't go back. Wendy Lake... Big dreams. Small bank account. Back home from college, she's the girl with the day job, the girl whose mom still packs her lunches, the girl with the memories she can't shake.
Simon Guidry ... The boy who holds her past in his pocket. And maybe her heart, too.
This is the story on-again, off-again Wendy and Simon, told in the now and then of their relationship. As the couple is thrown back into each other's lives through their friends' wedding, These Are the Moments dares to ask the questions:
Do people ever really change?
Do two people, who can never make it work, actually make it right?
And most importantly, do they even want to?








On the Fence
Kasie West
For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers. Even stranger, she's spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game.

To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.








Attachments
Rainbow Rowell


Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.
Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.
When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.
By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.
What would he say . . . ?








The Distance Between Us
Kasie West

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.
So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.
She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.




The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Jennifer E. Smith





Four minutes changes everything. Hadley Sullivan 17 misses her flight at JFK airport, is late to her father's second wedding in London with never-met stepmother. Hadley meets the perfect boy. Oliver is British, sits in her row. A long night on the plane passes in a blink, but the two lose track in arrival chaos. Can fate bring them together again?













The Start of Me and You
Emery Lord


Brimming with heartfelt relationships and authentic high-school dynamics The Start of Me and You proves that it’s never too late for second chances.

It’s been a year since it happened—when Paige Hancock’s first boyfriend died in an accident. After shutting out the world for two years, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school . . . and she has a plan. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her—the perfect way to convince everyone she’s back to normal. Next: Join a club—simple, it’s high school after all. But when Ryan’s sweet, nerdy cousin, Max, moves to town and recruits Paige for the Quiz Bowl team (of all things!) her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?









Second Chance Summer
Morgan Matson

Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.
Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.
As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.








Un jeu vers le soleil
Pascale Gingras

Véronique a besoin d'air?! Cet été, c'est décidé, elle ira travailler en Ontario, question de se dépayser un peu. Garder un enfant de 4 ans, pour elle, ce n'est pas un boulot très exigeant, mais à son arrivée dans la famille de Max, elle aura la surprise de constater que son petit protégé a un grand frère... de 19 ans?!
Secret et distant, Thierry a tôt fait d'intriguer Véronique, qui décide de se mettre sur son cas. Pourquoi refuse-t-il de sortir de la maison?? Et, surtout, pourquoi évite-t-il son regard?? Gagnant peu à peu sa confiance, Véronique découvrira le drame qu'il vit, ses craintes, ses douleurs profondes et essayera de l'aider. Même si c'est malgré lui.
Pour son premier roman, Pascale Gingras nous offre une histoire remplie d'humour et de bonne humeur, mais surtout délicieusement romantique. Un récit intense qui se déploie tout doucement, comme les nuages s'écartent devant le soleil.









Confess
Colleen Hoover

Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.
For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.
The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin…









Confessions of a Virgin Sex Columnist
Kay Marie

My name is Skylar Quinn. I just moved to New York with my best friend Bridget, and I have a confession. Well, more than one. Okay, quite a few really. Fine, here goes!
Confession #1: I'm a sex columnist. Hold on, that's not really the confession. You see, I'm sort of a virgin...sex columnist.
Confession #2: I'm kind of in love with Bridget's older brother, Oliver. No, I was. No, I am. Wait, was? Am? Crap.
Confession #3: I've been avoiding Oliver for four years. Or I was until today, because he just moved in. Yes, you read that correctly. He's my new roommate. So that night we've both been pretending never happened, well, we might not be able to keep it a secret any longer.
And trust me, this is only the beginning.










The Fill-In Boyfriend
Kasie West

When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend—two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.
The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party—three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.
Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.








Just One Day
Gayle Forman

Allyson Healey's life is exactly like her suitcase—packed, planned, ordered. Then on the last day of her three-week post-graduation European tour, she meets Willem. A free-spirited, roving actor, Willem is everything she’s not, and when he invites her to abandon her plans and come to Paris with him, Allyson says yes. This uncharacteristic decision leads to a day of risk and romance, liberation and intimacy: 24 hours that will transform Allyson’s life.
A book about love, heartbreak, travel, identity, and the “accidents” of fate, Just One Day shows us how sometimes in order to get found, you first have to get lost. . . and how often the people we are seeking are much closer than we know.
The first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!












Something Borrowed
Emily Giffin

Something Borrowed tells the story of Rachel, a young attorney living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the consummate good girl---until her thirtieth birthday, when her best friend, Darcy, throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up in bed with Darcy's fiancé. Although she wakes up determined to put the one-night fling behind her, Rachel is horrified to discover that she has genuine feelings for the one guy she should run from. As the September wedding date nears, Rachel knows she has to make a choice. In doing so, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren't always neat, and sometimes you have to risk all to win true happiness. Something Borrowed is a phenomenal debut novel that will have you laughing, crying, and calling your best friend.









Those are my recommendations! You can just click on the book covers to get to the books' Goodreads pages. Two of these books were sent to me in exchange for an honest review, but the others weren't. I hope you have a good time reading (and swooning)!