Book Review: Laguna Cove by Alyson Noel (Forever Summer)


Title: Laguna Cove
Author: Alyson Noel
Published: 26th April 2011

Summary:
The new girl always makes waves.
Welcome to Laguna Beach, California, where the beach is hot, the teens are beautiful, and there's always time for surfing.

Anne's new life in Laguna Beach feels more like a death sentence than a vacation. The local high school is the exact opposite of her former Connecticut prep school, and the social scene is all about hanging at the beach and surfing.  But when Anne finally makes friends at one of her dad's show-biz parties, she decides to give California a chance. There's wild child Lola; laid back, free-spirited Jade; and beautiful, competitive Ellie. And of course, Chris, the gorgeous guy who teaches Anne how to surf. Anne becomes fast friends with Jade and Lola, but no matter how hard she tries, Ellie won't give her a chance And the closer Anne grows to Chris, and the better she gets at surfing, the more Ellie seems to hate her. But now that Anne has worked so hard to find her place, she's not about to budge—especially since she plans to enter the annual surf competition, where she'll really give Ellie a run for her money.

With the signature humor and spot-on insight into teenage life that her readers have come to love, Alyson Noël makes waves with LAGUNA COVE. [GoodReads]

My Thoughts:
I bought Forever Summer which this book, Laguna Cover, and Cruel Summer were included in it.  There have been many negative reviews due to the ending of this book however once finishing it I didn't think it was as bad as I thought it would of been.


Anne is the new girl in town. She is continuously worrying about fitting in with everyone at school but she soon finds out there is nothing to worry about. Anne, I found, was a strong and confident character. She wasn't afraid to take risks that may end up leaving her in humiliation. I felt that many of the other characters lacked depth and when I first began reading this book I was immediately surprised by the different side-stories that were included in this book. This book seemed rushed with open gaps. Jake, who was written as a minority character, I felt, should of been included much more because I felt that he was an interesting character who just wasn't been looked into.


To conclude, the ending of the book was...open ended. It is for the readers interpretation is one was you could put it. Yes, it did leave many lingering questions however I didn't mind it as much as I thought I would. Yes, there are some that I wish were answered however I did like the open ended-ness and I thought that it worked well for this book.


However, I don't really think it's much of a romance book, I felt it was more about friendship. A new place, new friends and a new life. 

Recommend or Not? It's not a book that I would recommend as much as others. But yes, I would recommend it, however I will warn you that the ending of the book leaves many unanswered questions.

Book Review: Cruel Summer by Alyson Noel (Forever Summer)

Title: Cruel Summer (Forever Summer)
Author: Alyson Noel
Published: 26th April 2011

Summary:
Having recently discarded her dorky image—and the best friend that went with it—Colby Cavendish is looking forward to a long hot season of parties, beach BBQ's, and hopefully, more hook-ups with Levi Bonham, the hottest guy in school. But her world comes crashing down when her parents send her away to spend the summer in Greece with her "crazy" aunt Tally. Stranded on a boring island with no malls, no cell phone reception, and an aunt who talks to her plants, Colby finds herself worrying that her new friends have forgotten all about her. But when she meets Yannis, a cute Greek local, everything changes. She experiences something deeper and more intense than a summer fling, and it forces her to see herself, and the life she left behind, in a whole new way...

One summer changes everything in this poignant young adult novel about best friends, popularity, and an unforgettable summer romance.

My Thoughts:
This story is written in a very different way compared to the other books I've read. It is told through a series of emails and blog posts. Colby is not really a character that I could relate to and she was a very annoying character. She was stubborn and constantly holds a grudge. This is shown through her blog in which she calls "Cruel Summer." It took me a while to get through this book and I don't think I'll pick this book up again to re-read.

On top of her complaining about her horrible summer in Greece, which if she just loose a little and just realized that she was in GREECE she could of enjoyed it from the start, her parents are going through a break up that she is constantly checking back on via email. She tries to control so much and doesn't understand anything that her parents are going through but still constantly butts in

Recommend or Not? No, not really. I really didn't like the narration of Colby and how she saw everything. "Cruel Summer" could of been "An Awesome Summer" if she lightened up a little. It's a shame.

Book Review: The Maze Runner 3: The Death Cure by James Dashner

Title: The Death Cure
Author: James Dashner
Published: 5th April 2012

Summary:
Thomas knows that Wicked can’t be trusted, but they say the time for lies is over, that they’ve collected all they can from the Trials and now must rely on the Gladers, with full memories restored, to help them with their ultimate mission. It’s up to the Gladers to complete the blueprint for the cure to the Flare with a final voluntary test. What Wicked doesn’t know is that something’s happened that no Trial or Variable could have foreseen. Thomas has remembered far more than they think. And he knows that he can’t believe a word of what Wicked says. The time for lies is over. But the truth is more dangerous than Thomas could ever imagine. Will anyone survive the Death Cure? [GoodReads]

My Thoughts:
Ok, being plainly honest that this book was a complete let down. I loved the first book to pieces, it blew my mind. The second book, it was meh. But this book...not exactly how I imagined the books to end.

As I read through this book I was constantly annoyed. It was mainly the trusting issues and the whole idea of "everything is ok" that annoyed me because nothing was alright and Thomas new it. The book seemed rushed and the ending was more like, "here's an ending that will be alright and satisfy the readers", which isn't right. The ending is a little abrupt and is one that will make you ask "is that it?" at the end of it. 

Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth (Without the spoiler)


Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Published: 3rd May 2011

Summary:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.
[GoodReads]


My Thoughts:
I devoured this book in under a day! I was so truly gripped to the action that surrounded Tris (aka Beatrice). Not being cliché, but she is character with so much bravery and confidence in everything she does even though her narration makes it seem far from it.

I wasn't so keen on the fractions and the whole idea of fitting in as it reminded me of other books about the slitting of people, The Uglies Trilogy by Scott Westerfeild and obviously Harry Potter with the houses and so on, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins...however I was surprised how much this book separated itself from the other books I've read. The fractions are much more serious and dangerous under the surface, even though on the top you may think there is no harm what so ever.

My favourite parts of the book were the over coming fear processes and also reading the relationship between Tris and her family and just how they interact with one another, especially in the hardess of times, which really brought the story down to earth.


The only thing I was disappointed about was the romance. No, it was a cute romance and all, however I did find it predictable on who it was going to be as soon as I started reading the book. Tris is a little blinded in actions this person does during the training part of the book. I would read her narration about how she thinks he thinks she is weak and nothing, but I knew it was the complete opposite. She is utterly blind in how people act around her and what it means.It drove me M-A-D!! (However, adding to this, I become a critic in the romantic subject as my book build up in mostly romance.)

Recommend or Not? Yes, also because the romance has already been laid out the next book, I hope, won't focus so much on the romance but will be largely built up of AC-TION! - I hope...

Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Published: 3rd May 2011

Summary:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.


My Thoughts:
I devoured this book in under a day! I was so truly gripped to the action that surrounded Tris (aka Beatrice). Not being cliché, but she is character with so much bravery and confidence in everything she does even though her narration makes it seem far from it.


I wasn't so keen on the fractions and the whole idea of fitting in as it reminded me of other books about the slitting of people, The Uglies Trilogy by Scott Westerfeild and obviously Harry Potter with the houses and so on, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins...however I was surprised how much this book separated itself from the other books I've read. The fractions are much more serious and dangerous under the surface, even though on the top you may think there is no harm what so ever.

Next paragraph contains a small small small spoiler, but I have posted one without this paragraph here

Everything in each fraction is much more serious than I thought to begin with as we follow Tris into the Dauntless fraction. More like fight for a place or be fractionless, which means you end up living on the streets without a fraction. It is almost the survival of the fittest, it's not how I imagined a fraction to be like when it's to do with bravery.

My favourite parts of the book were the over coming fear processes and also reading the relationship between Tris and her family and just how they interact with one another, especially in the hardess of times, which really brought the story down to earth.

 

The only thing I was disappointed about was the romance. No, it was a cute romance and all, however I did find it predictable on who it was going to be as soon as I started reading the book. Tris is a little blinded in actions this person does during the training part of the book. I would read her narration about how she thinks he thinks she is weak and nothing, but I knew it was the complete opposite. She is utterly blind in how people act around her and what it means.It drove me M-A-D!! (However, adding to this, I become a critic in the romantic subject as my book build up in mostly romance.)

Recommend or Not? Yes, also because the romance has already been laid out the next book, I hope, won't focus so much on the romance but will be largely built up of ACTION! - I hope...

Book Review: Love Story by Jennifer Echols

Title: Love Story
Author: Jennifer Echols
Published: 18th August 2011


Summary:
She's writing about him. He's writing about her. And everybody is reading between the lines.

For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfil her ambitions--it's her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family's racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin's college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?
Then, on the day she's sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He's joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin's heart with longing. Now she's not just imagining what might have been. She's writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter . . . except this story could come true. [GoodReads]


My Thoughts:
The set out of this book was different to the previous books by Jennifer Echols that I have read, largely because of the whole creative writing classes. The build of the book is from the separate story content that Erin and Hunter write for the class to share. Obviously, the stories are much more personal than anyone could guess.

I felt that the characters in the book all seemed very distant. Although we know that Hunter and Erin have had history together and did know each other, it wouldn't of made a difference if they were two strangers who just met. The whole relationship between them seemed as if they were just using one another just because they used to get on really well.

The real let down in this book was the ending. It was an abrupt ending. I did not like it at all. So much was left unanswered. The build up during the whole story seemed like a waste of time and just seemed pointless.

Recommend or Not? Sadly, as much as I've enjoyed Jennifer Echols other books, this is one that I will not recommend.