My thoughts on 'UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS' by Portia De Rossi

Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain by Portia de Rossi

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Wow! What a touching and honest memoir.

Of course I knew/know who Ellen DeGeneres is and I have heard of Portia De Rossi-even that the two of them were together, but I never really 'knew' Portia. Couldn't even remember what she looked like and of course knew nothing about her life.

So the first time I learned anything about her was when I was watching clips of Ellen's show on You Tube and Portia was on there as a guest. First thing I noticed was how pretty she was, then the love between her and Ellen was beautiful! Just from those few moments everyone could see that. After that I learned that Portia had an eating disorder (used to have) and that she had written a book about it. Now I definitely had to read that. This woman intrigued me-rather, her and Ellen intrigued me, but I still wanted to hear her story. So I got the book from my library....and...

This book is so intense, raw, real, honest, heartbreaking, and heart-lifting. I think it had more of an impact on me because Portia actually wrote this herself. These were all her actual words. She did not hire a ghost writer to put her story together.

She talks about her life trying to fit in and trying to be someone that, her mom especially, will be proud of. From the age of 12, Portia began modeling and thus truly began her affair with food and her weight.

I learned so much from this book. Eating disorders are not simple cut and dried things. They are so complex and there are so many other aspects involved. They are not just about wanting to be thin. They are about wanting to be in control of something in your life, about acceptance, insecurities, fear, etc. And even though I knew a lot of that, Portia wrote this story in a way that I felt it along with her.

The things that she did and the reactions from people that she encountered in her life were sometimes surprising but a lot of the times not. What surprised me even more was Portia's reactions to people when they shown concern to/about her. And once again, she made me understand why she reacted that way.

The second part of this book is when it really started to get intense and the epilogue made me cry.

I am so sorry that Portia went through everything that she went through. But I am so happy that she is know better and happy! And that Ellen is there for her. There love is extrraordinary!

Which brings me to the part of Portia's sexuality. Even though she felt she had to hide her sexuality because of her career, and unfortunately at that time she probably did, this book mostly focused on her eating disorder. She does address her sexuality in this book and about her fear of opening, but I felt it took a back seat to the disorder.

I recommend this book to everyone.



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My thoughts on 'FURY' by Elizabeth Miles

Fury by Elizabeth Miles

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


When I first started this book I wasn't sure I was going to like it because I really didn't like the MC, Em. She was a horrible bestfriend!

But as I kept reading I didn't let that bother me too much and just focused on the other aspects of the story.

This story is basically about revenge, karma, what goes around comes around. And I really liked the way Elizabeth goes about doing this.

Our MC, Em betrays her best friend in such a horrible way and thinks about nobody but herself. Because of this she is targeted, but things really don't start to happen to hear until near the end of the book.

Chase is the other character in the book who is also targeted, but you don't find out why he is targeted until towards the end of the book, when stuff starts happening to Em.

I like how Elizabeth draws everything else and how it is not just all thrown at us, but I wish that one of the characters Drea, had a bigger part. She was hinted at throughout the story, but when she was actually given her part I was disappointed by the lack of 'shock' value for her that you would think she should have had.

I was also disappointed by the explanation for what is happening to Em and Chase. I feel there should have been more of a background story to what was going on.

I did like the punishments that Em and Chase got though. They were very fitting to what they had done. (although I never would wish that on anyone, but this is just a book after all....lol)

There is a lot of bullying in this book tho and it was sad how common and harsh it seemed to be in this town/school.

In the end I am glad that I kept with the book and finished it.



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My thoughts on 'DELIRIUM' by Lauren Oliver

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was such an amazing book! I loved everything about it from the very first page.

It is a dystopian book where love is a disease. How original and interesting! I couldn't help but agree with a lot of the story.

Love is truly a big problem in this world today. Or maybe not 'love' in particular, but strong feelings that are usually associated with love or with what some people may think is love. Feelings such as jealousy, revenge, anger, hurt, etc.

The cure which is supposed to 'cure' you from the disease or prevent you from getting the disease is basically like a less severe type of lobotomy. After you get this you are so easy going and so agreeable with everything.

You do not get this 'cure' until you are 18. A few months prior to this you go through an evaluation where you are basically judged/tested and then it is determined if you are able to go on to college or not. You are also give 4 people of the opposite sex to pick one from for your mate for life. Yes, you are also told basically who you are going to spend the rest the rest of your life with.

I liked that God was still present during this time. Maybe not in exactly the way we see Him, but he is still there and I really liked that.

The MC, Lena, at the beginning is so excited about the procedure (the cure) that she studies for the evaluation to make sure that she says the right things and she actually is counting down the days until she gets the cure.

Her best friend, Hana, actually rebels a little a few months before they are scheduled for the procedure and she tries to get Lena to rebel with her, but Lena wants no part of it, especially because if you are caught (and there are a lot of rules, such as not being with the opposite sex who haven't had the cure yet...not listening to approved music, etc) it can mean being put in the Crypts (jail) or worse.

Lena does everything that she is supposed to do, everything that is expected of her, wether she wants to or not. That is until she meets Alex.

Alex and her meet by accident and things kind of take of from that accidental meeting. They snowball, if you will, and before you know if Lena is so wrapped up in Alex that she can't think of anything else. She definitely has the 'disease'. She is in love!

She sneaks around every day and night just to be with Alex. Although she knows that they won't be together forever because her procedure is coming up, she refuses to think about that. Until the day that Lena finds out some devastating, or great news. Depending on how you look at it. What Lena finds out changes everything and next thing you know she is planning on running away with Alex. But running away is a huge and dangerous thing.

Of course things do not go as planned, but Lena and Alex seem to have overcome those obstacles, only to encounter more right at the end of the book. And of course the book ends on a huge cliffhanger!

I cannot wait to read the next book! Highly recommend this book!



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My thoughts on 'FRACTURE' by Megan Miranda

Fracture by Megan Miranda

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"If you had one day left to live, what would you do?"

This was such a good story with excellent writing and great characters!

The story is about a teenager named, DeLaney, who falls through a frozen lake and dies. But yet, she doesn't. She comes back and ends up in a coma for 6 days, where upon coming out of that coma, she is changed.

Not in the obvious ways that you would think, but in ways that you would never think. DeLaney ends up having some strange gift or curse, depending on the way that you look at it. This 'thing' that she has acquired changes her life so much and in so many ways.

She meets a strange new boy who she is both attracted to and repulsed by, her relationship between her neighbor and best friend becomes strained and the way her mom looks at her also changes, and not for the better.

DeLaney is trying to figure out what is going on with her and there is only person who seems to know, or at least who is experiencing the same thing she is. The one person she would rather stay away from. She is afraid to open up to other people about this for fear of what they will think or say. So she is stuck trying to deal with it all by herself. Or almost by herself.

But underneath the obvious, are also the feelings she is having for two different boys and she is not sure how to deal with them.

This story just flowed for me and the first chapter literally made me cry. It takes a lot to make me cry but this author did such a great job with her words that I just welled up.

A great debut novel that I highly recommend!

Check out the trailer....



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My thoughts on 'LIVING VIOLET' by Jaime Reed

Living Violet by Jaime Reed

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I read this book immediately after reading The Goddess Test and there were many things that were similar to me.



This is a story about a girl named Sam who works in a bookstore with a girl named Nadine. Also working at the bookstore is a boy named Caleb, who Sam thinks is weird but yet, she finds him intriguing-especially because of his violet eyes.



One day Sam and Caleb have a small chat at work and out of nowhere Caleb kisses her. And this begins their 'hot and cold' relationship.



There are some women around town that have been either dying or hospitalized because of heart attacks and then there is Caleb, whom Sam thinks is acting strange.



Sam soon learns some secrets about Caleb and her friend Nadine and after that nothing is the same for her.



There is intrigue, mystery, who-dun-it and of course romance in this book also. The same elements that were in The Goddess Test.



I thought that the story was well written and the characters were well done, but the whole 'thing' that was going on, the paranormal aspect, I wasn't too excited about. It was very interesting, but I don't know. It was just missing something for me.



I do want to add that there is a lot of pop culture in this book and the dialogue has a decent amount of slang in it. I actually found it more appealing to me, but years down the road I am not sure how that will affect the story.



Not a bad book and I am sure it will end up being a favorite of many people this year.



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My thoughts on "WHEREVER YOU GO" by Heather Davis

Wherever You Go by Heather Davis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book had a great ending.

The story is told from several different pov's...the MC, Holly, her dead boyfriend, Rob and her current boyfriend, Jason.

There are so many different things going on in this story, but they all loop together, that it makes it sort of difficult to explain the story.

Holly is the MC, who has lost her boyfriend when they get into a car accident months before and he dies. Holly also has a lot that she has to do at home, living with a single mom who works two jobs and having a younger sister. Before long her grandfather, who has Alzheimer's, comes to stay with them too and she has even more to take on.

Then you have Rob, her dead boyfriend, who is still hanging around. He can't communicate with anyone and he is frustrated about this and also because he is still stuck here all by himself.

Jason, who was Robs best friend, who is interested in Holly, finally makes his move. I think this is my favorite part of the book. Even though I am not a big lovey person when it comes to books, the things that Jason does for Holly is nothing short of love. He extends himself and sacrifices so much for her.

Aldo, Holly's grandfather, has the ability to communicate with Rob and he helps Rob to realize and admit to some things. Eventually helping him to cross over.

This story has so much in it. Heartache, love, sacrifice, courage, friendship, forgiveness. Even though each chapter had all the different pov's, everything came together so well. And the ending-the very last part, where Rob is talking, brought tears to my eyes.

Well done, Heather!





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My thoughts on 'THE GODDESS TEST' by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I usually do not read much during the day, but today I did.

I just couldn't put this book down. When I first started it I knew immediatelty that I would like it but not how much. I absolutely loved the writing!

This story if you cannot tell from the title is about Mythology. I have never read a story about Mythology and have never been interested in the gods, and honestly, I still am not, but this story was very interesting to me and I had to keep reading to find out what happened next.

I loved how there was mystery, intrigue and who-dun-it, and yes, I actually liked the romance that was in this book. Probably because it wasn't over the top and most times it was pretty subtle....I loved the characters, but there were also some things that I didn't care for and that is why the book only got 4 stars.

I actually became quite angry with the way Ella treated Kate at first. For those who have not read this book yet, Kate is the MC and Ella is one of the characters who works at Eden Manor, where Kate goes to stay for 6 months.

This is the story of Hades and Persephone, and I went into this not knowing barely anything at all about that story. But it didn't matter I still understood everything that was happening.

In a way it reminded me of Beauty and the Beast in some respects. And I kept picturing Belle and the Beast. The main difference was that Henry, or Hades, was not ugly in the least. He was a god so of course he was gorgeous.

I did guess a lot of what was going to happen in the book so either I am just really good at that or it was too predictable, but at the same time the parts I didn't guess made for a great surprise.

I liked how they explained the town of Eden. That was very interesting to me...as was Kate's moms role...and I have to say that Ava had me fooled.

The next book in this series is Goddess Interrupted and I cannot to read more of this story.





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My thoughts on 'BREATHING UNDERWATER' by Alex Flinn

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book was amazing!

I also read Breaking Point by Alex Flinn and absolutely loved that book too.

Such a deep and emotional story about emotional and physical abuse. The MC, Nick, who was 16 and very popular in school, started dating a girl named, Caitlyn, who wasn't too popular.

The story is about how Nick is emotionally and physically abusive to Caityln and has to go to anger management classes per court orders.

I really don't know to express the impact this book had on me, except to say that every time I would read one of his journal entries I would put the book down and literally say, 'Wow!', and then digest what I just read.

I always wondered how someone could hurt someone they claimed to love, and this book helped me to understand a little bit.

In no way is this acceptable but I was able to understand, at least in regards to Nick, how something like could happen.

If you like realistic fiction and books about abuse then you have got to read this!

I am uploading a You Tube video on this book and hopefully I was able to express myself a little bit better in that how this book affected me.

This is a video done by Leah Mouse-she does great videos and is very well spoken. She is very intellegent and has a lot to say on a lot of different subjects.






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My thoughts on 'Oink! My life with Minipigs' by Matt Whyman

Oink! My Life with Mini pigs by Matt Whyman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What a wonderful book!

If you like books about animals then you have got to read this book. There are a ton of books out there about dogs and cats, but I have never read a book about pet mini-pigs.

The author, Matt Whyman, does a great job telling this story. It was so informative and humorous. I absolutely loved the humor in this book!

The story talks about what led his family to acquire the mini-pigs, their adjustment to living with them, the ups and the downs and then trying to breed them.

To me, what set this book about from other fun and loving animal/pet books is the fact that Matt doesn't make the whole thing about having mini-pigs as pets just a wonderful thing. He is honest and actually tells us how he wasn't too happy with the idea right from the start. He also tells us about the trouble they had at times with them and how everything isn't all honky-dory living with mini-pigs.

I started this book, of course, wanting to add a mini-pig to our home-in the future. I actually did some research online and went as far as to check out some breeders and rescues. But thankfully, because of Matt's honesty, I quickly realized that a mini-pig would not be the pet for our household.

If you like books about animals, I definitely recommend picking this up.



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My thoughts on "INSIGHT" by Diana Greenwood

Insight by Diana Greenwood

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a story about a girl, Elvira and her family, in the 1940's. Even though it takes place during that time period I couldn't really tell.

Elvira has a rocky home life with a father who drinks and sometimes is gone for days and a mother who doesn't notice her and when she does it isn't to say anything nice.

One day her father enlists in the service and is gone. Her grandmother comes to stay with her and her mother and before long her mother gives birth to a baby girl.

Elvira talks about how life is and the struggles her and her family go through while her father is gone. She talks about how her sister is different then other kids and the road trip her and her family take with another, a near stranger, in search of something that they are positive they will find.

The story has religion in it and talks about God quite often. Elvira tells us how she went from not believing in God to believing and what it took for her to get there. Even though it had this in the story it is not in a preachy way.

And even though the tagline for this book is, "What if you could see things before they happen?", that is not the main point or idea of the story. It does wrap up the story and draw us to the end of the story, but not in the way that you would think.

This story is a coming of age story and I enjoyed it for that reason. I really loved the authors writing and the story line, but I do wish the tagline was more prominent in the story.



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My thoughts on 'THE ALCHEMY OF FOREVER' by Avery Williams

The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I finished this book so quickly. And not because it was under 250 pgs or that the words were rather large....no, although I am sure that helped, but because I was so drawn into this story that I just kept reading.

The story is about a group of people called 'incarnates' who take over other peoples bodies so they can live forever. The bodies they possess are only good for about 10 years and if they don't find another body before the body they are in expires they will be turned to dust and be gone forever.

The main girl, Seraphina, is tired of taking other peoples bodies, because she doesn't want to kill anymore. So after being an incarnate for 600 years she decides to run away. And it is 'run away' because the creator of them all, Cyrus, who is also an incarnate, is very possesive and controlling and would never just let Seraphina go.

So Seraphina makes a plan, but things go wrong and do not go as she had thought out so she must make some changes. Unfortunately, things become even more messed up and on top of what Seraphina is dealing with trying to get everything worked out she experiences things she never did before, which makes her double think her original plans.

Add to that that the fact that Cyrus is after her and that he may have found her.

Seraphina must find a way to outsmart Cryus, but still protect everything she has grown to care about.

There wasn't a whole lot of action in this book, but there was a lot of mystery and intrigue. Questions left unanswered. Some of the things I figured out right away, but I was so wrapped up in what was happening and what was going to happen to Seraphina that I wasn't too bothered by it.

I cannot wait for the next book because I just need to know what is going to happen next. And I need so many questions answered. Such as, why was a certain somebody in that part of town in the first place??

I usually don't come across a book like this that just draws me so deeply in unless it is a comtemparary so this book must be good!



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My thoughts on 'THE SHARP TIME' by Mary O'Connell

The Sharp Time by Mary O'Connell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the authors first book which came out in 2011.

This was a great book! It happens over the course of a week and there is so much in this story.

The MC, Sandanista, named after the Clash album, has recently lost her mother and so is now living on her own (she is 18-a senior in HS). The book tells us about a day at school when her alegbra teacher attacks her verbally and phsically, by kicking the desk Sandinista is sitting in. Thus begins our story.

Sandinista walks out of class and out of school and promptly goes and appies for a job at a second-hand store, which she gets on the spot. She has no intentions of going back to school, but every intention of getting revenge on the teacher who did this to her. (and who has been doing this to another girl in the class who is mentally challenged). Sandinista feels she has to stick up for the girl, Alecia, as well as for herself.

The day Sandinista walks out of school and applies for the job she walks into a thrift store of sorts and comes across a case full of handguns. She is so enthralled with these handguns that it actually shocks her. But what comes next really upset me and was so unrealistic. I would have to say this one thing is what prevented me from giving this book 5 stars. Probably because I come from a home where my husband collects guns and is very big of the safety of them.

Sandinista begins fantasizing of ways to get revenge and this takes up all of her days. No matter what she is doing she cannot seem to stop thinking about it. I would say she is a little obsessed. Her thoughts are kind of scary and Columbine is mentioned briefly in the story.

Besides for obsession with the teacher, she is also making a friend at the store she works at. Bradley. I really loved the friendship the two of them have. It is instantaneous and real. They get each other and Bradley is oh, so fun. Something Sandinista needs to take her mind off of things.

During the course of the week we follow Sandinista around with her day to day things. The thoughts in her head and the fantasies in her mind. Bradley and her discover so many things about themselves and each other.

I love the store that she works in and I love her sense of style. That really added to the book. I liked that the book was raw on the way she was feeling. Still trying to cope with the loss of her mother and then the incident that happened at school. She is feeling so many different things, but still trying to remain strong, tough. I like that it takes place over a week and in that week you are introduced to a quite a few different characters who are so well liked. I really wish I knew people like that. You see how her relationships with these characters develope and the inpact it has on her.

There is so much in this book. The meaning is so deep and the author executed this story perfectly.





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My thoughts on 'WITH OR WITHOUT YOU' by Brian Farrey

With or Without You by Brian Farrey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


OK, I have to say that I wasn't sure about this book at first. When I was about 100 pages in I almost put it down, but I decided to keep going and I am glad that I did.

Not that the first 100 pages was bad or uninteresting, but because it was like a chick-lit book but with two boys. For anyone that knows me, I do not care for chick-lit books or at least most of them that I have read anyway.

The first 100 or so pages was all about relationships, love, etc. But then I peeked ahead and I seen that the whole book was not like that.

This book is about relationships, love, honesty, betrayal, confusion, fitting in, of course, being gay and HIV. It is also about understanding, trust, and discovering who you are.

And those are the things that kept me reading.

Evan has a best friend, Davis, and a boyfriend, Erik, who nobody knows about. Erik is the perfect guy. He is smart, loving, understanding, talented and hard working, dedicated. Evan is talented and kind but he is also lost and still trying to discover who he is and what exactly he wants in life.

The whole story is mostly about Evan and Erik, but it is also about Evan and Davis. Evan and Davis had their futures planned together (as BFFs), but then certain things happened and Davis got mixed up with the wrong people because they made him feel as if he finally 'belonged'. His judgement was clouded by that, but luckily Evans was not. I think that if Evan didn't have Erik that maybe he would have fell for the the wrong crowd too. But he didn't and because he didn't he tried to make Davis see the truth.

It was a very dangerous path and what Evan did was very brave and unselfish of him. But while he was being loyal and trying to help one person, he was being disloyal and unintentionally hurting someone else.

I couldn't believe the things I read in this book about HIV and 'bugchasers'. How horrible!

On a sidenote, anyone who has an Erik in their lives are very lucky and they should do whatever they can to keep them in it.



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My thoughts on 'AMY AND ROGER'S EPIC DETOUR' by Morgan Matson

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A very good book about a road trip. A book about finding yourself and being honest.

This story is about a girl named Amy whose father has died and whose mother is in another state trying to get their new house settled. Amy has to drive to their new house (which should take about 4 days). The only problem is is that Amy won't drive after what happened with her father. So her mother came up with a plan and found someone to drive with her. Her best friends son, Roger.

When Amy and Roger set off on this roadtrip they plan on going the way Amys mom had planned out for them...but before long they decide to take a detour, which actually leads them all over the US. Needless to say, Amy does not make it home in 4 days.

But she does discover some things about herself and she was finally able to be honest with herself. It was an emotional and self discovery of sorts road trip.

The one thing I was upset about though was the printing errors. There were words printed two times in a row and commas where they shouldn't have been.

Other then that it was a good book.



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My thoughts on 'TAFT 2012' by Jason Heller

Taft 2012: A Novel by Jason Heller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book was not what I expected, but that is not meant in a bad way as you can see by the 4 star rating.

The book is divided into 2 sections, 2011 and 2012. 2011 was all about Taft getting to know America again and 2012 was about his campaign.

This is Hellers first book and he did an excellent job writing it. I really enjoyed the information I learned in here about Taft (although there was some fiction) and I loved how the chapters were broken up with news show excerpts, twitter 'tweets' and other such things.

The main thing that Taft talks about changing is the food in America. About getting back to organic, fresh food, etc. Also, about education. I really loved his views on everything and his outlook on life. He was down to earth and above all of the deceitfulness that is politics.

This book was so well written and I think even young adults would enjoy reading this.

I have to say that if Taft were truly running for President now, I would vote for him.



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My thoughts on "FORBIDDEN" by Tabitha Suzuma

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Wow! This was a very well done book....Tabitha took this taboo subject and turned it into something understandable.

I still do not condone any sort of incest but the way Tabitha tackled this you get an understanding of what Maya and her brother Lockan were going through.

The first 100+pgs is all about their family and their situation which I felt was very important to help you understand the rest. Tabitha wrote the characters so amazing and they felt so real.

I could understand a lot of what they went through and what they felt-even though I do not think their actions were appropriate.

I have done a video review on this over at youtube and I go into more on there...check it out at on my channel: ocdofbooks



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My thoughts on "THE PROBABILITY OF MIRACLES" by Wendy Wunder

The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I read this book in one night. I wasn't sure if I would, but I couldn't put it down.

It is about a girl named Cam who has cancer and about a portion of her life when she is 15-16yo. Cam gets some bad news and her, her mom and her sister set off on a journey to try and make things better.

I really liked Cams character-she was sarcastic...I really liked how you watched her transform from someone that had a wall up, from someone that refused to wish, to hope, to dream-to someone that let herself open up to so many things.

Despite everything she was going through, half of the time you wouldn't know she was sick. Cam was a very strong character-even though at the beginning it was a facade...instead of worrying about her situation she worried about other people.

This book let you know that you can dream, wish, hope, believe in miracles. No matter your situation there is always something bright to look to. You just have to allow yourself.

Cams character was such an inspiration. Yes, she broke at times, but she is only human, and she always came back. She didn't let her sickness dictate her life.

Cams mom and sister were also amazing characters. Her mom did everything she could for Cam but she also didn't treat Cam like a sick person. The same with her sister....they both encouraged Cam to go out and experience life-esp when all Cam wanted to do was lay in bed.

I also liked Cams love interest, Asher, although there were a few things I would have preferred to see different with him.

The town of Promise that the author created was amazing. I loved all the 'miracles' and what it did for Cam. The whole idea of the 'miracles' was a great part of the book.



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My thoughts on 'THE REPLACEMENT' by Brenna Yovanoff

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a great book. I loved the writing style and cannot wait to read Brennas next book.

The concept of the story was brillant I thought. The cover makes perfect sense now. I love how the author made this other world, and the characters were amazing!

I love how there was that touch of creepiness mixed in with everyday life. Her 'monsters' were so well thought out. And the personalities of everyone were just perfect.

Very interesting, creepy and just all around great!



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My thoughts on 'GIRL MEETS BOY' by Kelly Milner Halls

Girl Meets Boy: Because There Are Two Sides to Every Story by Kelly Milner Halls

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I won this book in a giveaway and then got a copy for review from Chronicle books.

I was very excited to read this because it sounded so interesting...two sides to the same story. A boys and a girls view. Aren't there always two sides to every story?

The book has 6 stories in it or 12, depending on how you look at, all with two sides...Ha! So one male and one female author. And some great authors at that.

I have to say that the stories were rather interesting to read. They each dealt with something different and I really liked that. I also really liked that they each dealt with pretty serious issues.

What I was sort of disappointed in is that I was expecting the stories to include both the female and the male character in some sort of conflict/dispute and that each story told the point of view about the conflict/dispute from each of their eyes. But it wasn't like that at all. One story talked about that persons life at a certain time-whether it was the boy or the girl and then the other side would talk about their life at the same time often overlapping but not always.

I would have found it much more interesting if it would have been written like that. Now someone will have to write a book like that. A disagreement/conflict, etc from the eyes of both parties involved.



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My thoughts on 'FLYAWAY' by Helen Landalf

Flyaway by Helen Landalf

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Another book with a serious subject matter, so of course I loved it. I don't know what it is about issues like this that draw my interest.

So, the main character, Stevie, has a mom who is sort of like a dead beat mom. Her and Stevie are constantly moving and she can't hold down a job. Nothing in Stevies life is stable, but that is all Stevie knows and when things turn bad in her life and she is no longer with her mom that is all she wants. To be with her even though that is the worst thing at the time.

The story starts with Stevies mom being gone for almost 3 days. Leaving Stevie home alone (Stevie is 15). At this time Stevie has also missed a lot of school and isn't too concerned about it-and apparently her mom isn't either.

Stevie is worried where her mom is and is hoping that she is OK. She is trying to talk herself into logical reasons on why her mom hasn't come home, but honestly there is no 'logical' reason why her mom hasn't been home in almost 3 days!

Luckily for Stevie, her Aunt Mindy, who is her moms sister shows up at their apartment and takes Stevie back home with her. Unfortunately Stevie doesn't see it that way.

Since Stevie has only known being with her mom she is very defensive and rebellious about everything that her Aunt Mindy is trying to do for her. She doesn't realize that her Aunt is only trying to help her and make things easier/better for her. But all Stevie wants is her mom.

When Stevie finds out from her Aunt that he mom has been doing drugs and that is why she hasn't been home and why she was acting the way she had been for so long, Stevie is in denial and is very angry at her Aunt for even suggesting such a thing. She refuses to believe what is or was right in front of her. And then when she finds out that her Aunt plans on doing an intervention to get Stevies mom to admit to her problem and agree to go into rehab, Stevie wants nothing to do with it.

Thankfully the intervention works and so while Stevies mom is away at rehab, Stevie is forced to stay with her Aunt. During this time with her Aunt she still remains bitter and angry, but you see through her interactions with her friends that she has changed. You see that what is going on with her mom has actually affected Stevie and that she has actually learned something from it. I really was proud to see this change in her. Even though Stevie was very angry still at her Aunt and in a few of the situations she was in was because she was running away from her Aunt to try and deal with her feelings....in the end she ended up doing the right thing.

When her mom comes home from rehab Stevie is ecstatic and has high hopes that things will be better, that they will be different. Unfortunately that isn't to be and Stevie is forced to face and admit a lot of things that she was in denial about through the whole story.

I really enjoyed this book. The story was great! I always like stories that show the dark side of life. The gritty side that a lot of people do not want to admit exists or that a lot of people refuse to see.

The characters in this book were great also. Stevie was a very well believed character. All of the emotions and thoughts that she had were definitely something I could see someone in her situation having.

Her Aunt was so loving and supportive despite the way Stevie treated her. She was very understanding and never gave up on Stevie.

The side charaters in this story were also well liked. I liked how the author had a bird rehabilitation center in the story because it added a lot to it. There is a lot to read into that and to learn.

I don't think that there was a character in this book that I didn't like a lot or that just didn't make sense. All of the characters made this story well rounded and gave such a big insight into Stevies life.

I am glad that I didn't allow the cover make the decision for me if I was going to read this or not. Honestly, I don't care for the cover, but hey, the story well makes up for that.



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