Amy and Roger's Epic Detour

Review Time! I wasn’t going to post a review today but my OCD makes looking at my growing Review Pile painful so here I am yet writing another review :P Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson was recently published in the UK and the AUS, thanks to Simon and Schuster for the review copy!

(Goodreads) Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn't seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she's coming to terms with her father's death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself


The Short Story? – An epic detour indeed! I bring you, the cheapest vacation ever! Not going anywhere these holidays? Why not join Amy and Roger on their cross country road trip? A bittersweet novel about dealing with grief and moving on, a funny and touching adventure and an extraordinary novel that was simply beautiful.

The Long Story? – I honestly didn’t know what to expect with this one. No, I lied, I expected an epic-worthy road trip with someone called Amy and another one called Roger. I got more than I bargained for! Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour was fantastic! Really what I expected to be a funny love story but this was better, it’s definitely one for the YA contemporary fanatics!

The plot was the highlight of the novel for me. Matson’s written an exciting adventure that doesn’t include vampires and sword fighting and start-crossed lovers. This is as exciting as a non-paranormal novel can get! It’s not just a road trip, it’s an epic detour :P The novel started out a little slowly and the first 50 or so pages is just for easing the reader into the novel but after you hit that 50 mark it’s an hectic adventure. Filled with laughter, tears, heartbreak and everything in between, the novel definitely has a nice flow to it and I could easily chug along the novel at a steady pace. Well-written and clearly a lot of research went into the novel. That or the fact that Matson is talking from experience. Brownie points for all the references to food, a unique taste for each state of the epic detour! This one is for the Sarah Dessen fans :)

Characterization wise, Matson’s developed some strong characters. Amy our protagonists was on as much of an emotional re-growth journey as much as a real journey. Between all the adventures, Matson’s weaved all these getting over grief scenes and I loved them. Amy was portrayed as a girl who shut herself away from the world, she was lonely, guilt-ridden and grief-stricken. Throughout the novel, she’s coaxed out of her shell by all the people she meets on her epic detour. Roger, her companion in crime was like a ray of sunshine, dealing with heartbreak of his own, he never stopped trying to be cheerful! I loved Roger, he was kind, funny and a total hottie! My favourite secondary characters included Lucien and Bronwyn, two of the nicest characters I’ve met, I’m planning a road trip for the three of us: P In a nutshell, characterization was another one of the strong points about Matson’s debut.

I loved Matson’s writing style, there is this fresh edge to it, it’s so “teen”. You know how you have those sugary sweet narrative voices and then those authentic narrative voices? This one was authentic for sure. It’s got a bittersweet edge to it, in fact, the whole book had a bittersweet edge to it. It was sad but funny, the best of both worlds, not to depressing but not perfect enough that it leaves you thinking ‘wait, is this set on Earth or so new and improved New Earth?’. It’s quite a long read, 350 pages and the text is tiny! Although, I’m not complaining because it was worth every word!

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour is a bittersweet adventure about a girl dealing with guilt and grief and a boy dealing with heartbreak. It’s a novel about finding yourself and epic road trips. A bonus is that it’s an excellent guide to what to eat when you head to Kentucky, Louisville and a few more places that I can’t name on the top of my head! Beautiful, touching, funny and epic indeed! A cute read for everyone!

Rating – 5/5

Badass Bookie xx.

Passion

Review Time! I’ve been very slack this week! I had this awesome Breakfast with the Bookie idea but with two assignments due today, I spent my night finishing them off. Anyway, Passion is the third book in the Fallen series by Lauren Kate, it’s an international bestseller and big thank-you to Random House for sending it!

(Goodreads) Luce would die for Daniel.


And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way. . . .


Luce is certain that something—or someone—in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime . . . going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel . . . and finally unlock the key to making their love last.


Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history.


Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames . . . forever

The Short Story? – Passion was a thrilling adventure filled with passionate (no pun intended) moments and delicious romance. Picking up from the cliff hanger ending of Torment, Passion is edgy, dangerous and enticing! Great plot, fantastic romance and another ending that’s leaving me craving for more!

The Long Story? – I didn’t like Fallen very much and I wasn’t planning on reading Torment but the reviews claimed that it was better so I gave this series a second chance. I’m glad I did because I loved Torment and Passion was brilliant. This is a great example of a series that suffers from the FBS (First Book Syndrome), it’s a series that gets better as the story progresses.

I really liked Passion it fitted into the bigger image of Luce and Daniel’s cursed love story yet, I can’t help but think of it as a bridge. It’s a linking book. Passion was the bridge from Torment to Rapture (the next installment), the events that occurred during this book I thought didn’t hold as much significance as the rest of the series. Passion was a collection of flashbacks from Luce and Daniel’s past lives and it was all very interesting, I didn’t know how many different variations of Luce and Daniel you can make. It’s very clever how Kate’s weaved these fictional characters into real events of history. Passion was also kind of a tell-all book, we finally find out why Luce and Daniel are cursed and readers get to see the depth of their love. It’s probably my favourite book in the series, it was more relaxed and I was able to enjoy it at a slower pace and being a romance junkie, this was kind of like bliss.

Characterization was great. It’s the third book in the series and if you’re reading this review, you know what the characters are like. However this is a spoiler-free review so I’ll start from the beginning, Luce our protagonist has definitely matured throughout the duration of this book. I used to think Luce was selfish, immature and I honestly couldn’t see the appeal in her. I liked her a little more in Torment, she grew a backbone but it was in this novel that I really started to connect to her. Daniel is still a pretty foreign character to me, even after spending three installments with him, I’m not quite sure what he’s like, I‘ve got the basics ( he’s in love with Luce, he’s a fallen angel) but his personality is still somewhat of a mystery, he doesn’t show much emotion besides love. Cam, is by far my favourite character, we get to see a new side of him that we’ve never seen before and he’s amazing. Believe me when I say just to see this new side of Cam is a good enough reason the read the book. The other characters played a fairly minor part in Passion. In all, Passion was little about character growth especially with Luce.

As a romance junkie it wouldn’t seem right if I didn’t talk a little about the romance right? The romance was superb as always. I think Passion really depicted the depth of Luce and Daniel’s cursed love story. I can finally understand the “hugeness” of their love for each other and how far they will go to be with each other. Lots of sizzling romance, passionate kisses and heartbreaking moments. It’s one for the romance suckers (like me)

If you haven’t read Fallen I would recommend you to do so and stick with it! I wasn’t the biggest fan of Fallen (okay, I (sorta) hated it) but it drastically gets better! Torment was great and Passion was even better. I can just tell Rapture is going to epic, so do yourself a favor and read this. Great romance, fantastic characters and brilliant plot, Passion is not to be missed!

Rating – 4.5/5

Badass Bookie xx

Only the Good Spy Young

Review Time! I’m a huge fan of Ally Carter, she writes fabulous novels for teenagers and alongside her Heist Society series, her Gallagher Girls series is one of my favorite series all time. They’re absolutely amazing! If you haven’t read them, you’re missing out :P Thanks to Hachette for the review copy!

(Goodreads) When Cammie Morgan enrolled at the Gallagher Academy, she knew she was preparing for the dangerous life of a spy. What she didn’t know was that the serious, real-life danger would start during her junior year of high school. But that’s exactly what happened two months ago when Cammie faced off against an ancient terrorist organization dead set on kidnapping her.


Now the danger follows her everywhere, and even Cammie “The Chameleon” can’t hide. When a terrifying encounter in London reveals that one of her most-trusted allies is actually a rogue double-agent, Cammie no longer knows if she can trust her classmates, her teachers—or even her own heart.

The Short Story? – Ally Carter never fails to impress! Only the Good Spy Young is the fourth book in her Gallagher Girls series and it’s by far my favorite. Action-packed, unpredictable and completely engrossing. Only the Good Spy Young is a combination of my two favorite things in literature, romance and action. One word – brilliant.

The Long Story? – Good God! Where do I even start with this novel? Honestly, I’m not even sure what to write about it ( which is why I haven’t written a review til now) because there is just so much I want to say. I don’t want to blabber on or bore you to tears but this is a seriously awesome series.

Carter’s plots are always, always unpredictable. You’ll never find a novel with a plot like hers, it’s not “recycled”. They’re clever, fast-paced and completely original which is one of the reason I love her novels. I mentioned before that I secretly think Carter was a spy herself and writing her life stories and Only the Good Spy Young only supports my argument. The events in this book are so clever and realistic that Carter being a spy is the only explanation. Heart-pounding, non-stop excitement that left me on the edge of my seat, no one can write an action novel better than Carter.

Some of my favorite characters are from this series. Cammie, our Gallagher girl is everything a good protagonist needs to be. Smart, funny and a risk-taker, Cammie is what every good novel should have, a protagonist who can think for themselves. Zach, is the man of my dreams ( one of them anyway), he really takes the ‘air of mystery’ quite seriously, it wasn’t til this book that we get to know a little more about him other than he’s HOT! ( Huge secrets to be revealed in this novel!) Some of my favorite supporting characters were born from this series, what I find amazing is that every character has that ‘cool, confident’ charm going. Maybe its part of being a spy but it’s totally awesome. Great characters that I’ve grown closer and closer to over the years!

I know I mention this every time I review Carter’s books but her romance is really spot-on! The romance is always one of the reasons it hard to wait for the next book to be released. Carter dishes the romance out in rationed portions, enough to keep reader hooked on but not enough to satisfy! It’s torture! It’s killing me not to know where Cammie and Zach end up but again the undeniable attraction is there and the sizzling chemistry between the two is what keeps the novel moving ( along with the other important things like stopping terrorists). Brilliant romance, Carter’s mastered the art of torture ;)

What else do I have to say? Two words – read it. The Gallagher Girls is a fantastic series that can be enjoyed by everyone, yes even you! Don’t look at it and think ‘ uhhh it’s not for me’ because this one is for everyone! Another master piece from Ally Carter, another novel that’s going to be re-read over and over again. Action-packed, exciting and sizzling with romantic tension. Only the Good Spy Young will not disappoint!

Rating – 5/5


Badass Bookie xx

In My Mailbox #31 - MASSIVE Three Week Edition

Hello Lovelies! It's In My Mailbox Time! This is a MASSIVE Three Week Edition because I didn't do one last week due to Debut of the Month! IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where we show the bookish contents of our mailbox! I participate every second week ususally :)

Three Week Hurl -

Three Week Hurl

So You Can See All the Pretty Covers...

For Review -

- Haunting Violet by Alexander Harvey ( with awesome tote bag!)
- Lament by Maggie Stiefvatar
- Ballad by Maggie Stiefvatar
- Linger by Maggie Stiefvatar
- Forever by Maggie Stiefvatar
- ARC Clarity by Kim Harrington
- ARC Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan
- Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting
- Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
- The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter ( finished copy)
- Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
- Bad Sisters by Rebecca Chance
- It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
- Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter ( Not Pictured)

Gifted -

- The Starkin Crown by Kate Forsyth

( Thanks to Melissa @ Spellbound by Books )

Won -

- ARC Wintertown by Stephen Edmond
- The Naughty List by Suzanne Young
- The Last Song by Nicholas Spark
- Dear John by Nicholas Spark
- Shattered Soul Swag ( not pictured)

( Thanks to Lisa @ Turning Pages, Jess @ She's Known as Jess Blogspot, Nikki @ Nikki Katz and Mary Lindsey)

That's all for this week! :)

Badass Bookie xx

Enclave

Review Time! Enclave is a 2011 YA Debut written by Ann Aguirre. It's a post-apocalyptic/ dystopian novel and it was definitely one of my most anticipated reads of the year! Thanks to Ann Aguirre for sending me a signed copy!

(Goodreads) Welcome to the Apocalypse. In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.


As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning.

The Short Story? - For fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent, here comes the next big thing! Exciting, edgy and addictive, Enclave is your Friday Night Entertainment packed into a neat 260 pages novel! Fast-paced and original. Enclave is a remarkable debut that should be read by all!

The Long Story? - Enclave had me from the start. I like dystopian novels but it's the post-apocalyptic/ survival-based that's the cherry on top. From the moment I read the blurb, I just knew I had to read Enclave! It was everything I thought it would be and more! Fantastic, one of my favourite dystopian novels of the year!

With dystopian, every setting is different but when it comes to originality, I usually find it very lacking. They all pretty much sum up to the same thing, freedom to love, to think, to be who they are. In turn this air of depression falls over the whole novel. Enclave was different. Yes, there was the key element of longing for freedom and the unknown but there was more to the plot then that. There was a beginning, a crisis and then there was ending. It was a layered plot that was more than just ' I want freedom, oh hot boy, help me fight for freedom'. Exciting. edgy and a fantastic page-turner, I was hanging onto every word!

The characters were great! Deuce ( who's name is great) is one of the best characters I have encountered. Following in the footsteps of Katniss Everdeen, Deuce is a strong heroine who refuses to let gender get in her way of doing great things! She's someone I've grown to admire, her choices reflect on her kind nature and she's fearless. Fade is a great love interest, he's got the whole 'air of mystery' surrounding him and he's smexy ;P Plus the love romantic development only draws the reader further and further into the story! Stalker was the third part of a cleverly crafted love triangle. I can't wait to see where the romance leads the three of them in the next book!

Overall, Enclave was the perfect read for a night in! Quick, exciting and lots of sizzling romantic tension, what more can a girl ask for? A beautifully crafted post-apocalyptic world, a life or death situation and a novel about hardship, survival, freedom and love. Fantastic plot, great characters and well-written, Enclave is one not to be missed, for lovers of all things Dystopian! The next big thing after The Hunger Games, here comes Enclave!

Rating - 5/5

Badass Bookie xx

The Girl in the Steel Corset

Review Time! The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross is a 2011 YA debut, it’s steampunk and set in the 1800’s ( double *fist pump*) I would like to thank Harlequin Teen for sending me a review copy and Rachel @ Fiktshun for sending me a hardcover copy!

(Goodreads) In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one except the thing inside her.



When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch.


Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits. Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.


Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.


But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on, even if it seems no one believes her
 
The Short Story? – This book is so awesome that I have it in both paperback and hardback. Clockwork Angel meets The Luxe, it’s the best of both worlds! All the glam The Luxe and all the handsome young man and supernatural action of Clockwork Angel. Witty, exciting and swoon-worthily romantic. Un-put-downable, stunning debut, this is the ultimate page-turner.

The Long Story? – Why in the name of Books didn’t I read this one earlier? Why? Why? Why? I’m kicking for myself for leaving this one on my shelf for so long, I loved it. From the start to the end, it was fantastic! I can’t pin it on one thing that made me love it but there is something different about The Girl in the Steel Corset that makes it hard not to love.

One of the best plots I have read this year. It’s not really paranormal and yet there is this supernatural vibe going on. There is this logical explanation behind all the supernaturalnous of the whole novel that it’s somewhere between historical contempt and historical paranormal, closer to the latter. I’ve read many brilliant, brilliant books this year but The Girl in the Steel Corset was different, there was a purpose. It can be easily seen that a lot of planning went into the novel. All the threads that weaved throughout the novel were tied neatly together at the end except for the one that turned into the cliff-hanger ending. It wasn’t just a love story, it wasn’t one of those novels that were badly planned where the author went ‘Oh, I almost forgot to put a conflict in, let me just slotted in here’ It was neat and clever and brilliant. Non-stop action, romantic tension and badass characters.

As far as characterization goes, it’s like reading about superheroes, which I guess in a way they are. They’re crime-stoppers with super-human abilities (or intelligence …or both). Finley, our protagonist is my new best friend. Absolutely loved this girl, she was strong, clever, shy at times and brave. She was a badass heroine. Emily is too smart for me to describe but she’s completely adorable. Sam is Sam ( you’ll understand once you read the book) and my two gorgeous boys Griffin and Jack share my affection. Best love triangle I have ever read, I can’t even pick a side which how awesome the romance is. So much tension and so many *swoon* worthy moments :P

Cross’s writing is fantastic. Very strong narrative voice and it’s quite engrossing, I couldn’t put it down, it was addictive! Comfortable writing style and easy to read language, it’s a novel for all lovers of fiction. A great novel and a fantastic genre!

This book is made of awesome pretty much sums it all up. Do yourself a favor and pick up not only one but two copies of the book because you need a copy to read over and over again and another to stick on your shelf and admire :P Brilliant, original, witty and an absolute page-turner. The Girl in the Steel Corset is a stunner of a debut and I can’t wait to read the next book!

Rating – 6/5

Badass Bookie xx

It's Not Summer Without You

Review Time! It’s Not Summer Without You is the 2nd book in the Summer series written by Jenny Han. I absolutely adore this series and I was delighted to find that Penguin Australia was publishing the 2nd book! Again, thanks to Penguin for this review copy, I love you guys!

(Goodreads) Can summer be truly summer without Cousins Beach?



It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come.

But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started--at Cousins Beach.

The Short Story? – Cute and bittersweet, It’s Not Summer Without You is sad, moving and funny. Bringing out all the emotions out of a reader, Han has written a beautiful novel about first love, first heartbreak and everything in between. Beautiful, breathtaking and brilliant, It’s Not Summer Without You is as good as it gets.

The Long Story? – I love this series. I really do. It’s also a tough cookie to review because I have so much to say about this book. I have all these thoughts buzzing around in my head that it’s hard to pick what’s important and what not :P I’ll like to start by saying, It’s Not Summer Without You is even better than The Summer I Turned Pretty.

The plot was amazing. I haven’t read any reviews on this novel because I didn’t want any spoilers but the main difference I picked out between the 1st novel and the 2nd novel is that, the plot’s a little more serious. The events that happen are a little more heartbreaking and it bought out so much emotion in me, I literally bawled my eyes out throughout the novel. I can’t think of a better word to describe the plot other than bittersweet. It was still refreshingly to read, very cute and enjoyable but it explored darker issues, for everything sweet there was a little bitter aftertaste and I think that was my favourite part of the novel. It wasn’t just another summer love story, there was purpose and meaning behind it, there’s more to it now than just a romance. Very original, very cute and yet deeply touching. The plot is one of a kind.

There was a great deal of character development in this novel. We got to understand the characters better and also watch them grow. Belly, is definitely a lot more mature in this novel, she’s grown up and her actions in this novel rally impressed me. She’s making better choices, she’s thinking about herself and she realizes it’s okay to have what you want. Jeremiah is still number 1 on my list, I was Team Jeremiah from the start and It’s Not Summer Without You only led me to love him more. Honestly, he’s like the best boyfriend material, he’s funny, sweet and he really cares about Belly. The world would be complete if they got together :) Conrad…is a jerk. He clearly has feelings for Belly but he’s too stubborn to admit it and I’m pretty bias about this but he doesn’t deserve Belly (who should totally be with Jeremiah). Overall, great cast of characters, I have someone to admire, someone to *swoon* over and someone to hate or well, dislike anyway :P

Another one of my favourite things about this novel is Han’s writing and structure. Han has a very unique writing style, every time I read her work, it completely brightens up my day, it’s so comfortable and relaxing and no pun intended but summer-y. It’s just writing at its best. Han’s book structure is also something very different. The book is written so it flips from the present to the past but it also interchanges between character perspectives. Like I said, very different and surprisingly not all that to follow. Han’s novels are very easy to read and can be enjoyed by readers of all abilities and age :)

If you haven’t read the series yet, you should head to your nearest bookstore and buy them because they’re brilliant. I was hanging onto every word, totally engrossed by the story that I missed dinner (true fact). It’s Not Summer Without You is contemporary at its best. Refreshing to read, cute, funny and yet deeply moving. Bittersweet, It’s Not Summer Without You is one for everyone to enjoy. I won’t be your friend if you don’t read it :P

Rating - 5/5

Badass Bookie xx