Recap - June 2014

June was a very productive month for me reading-wise. Though I've already reviewed some of the books I've read, some still need to be reviewed. To talk about all the reading I did in June (and some of the reading I plan to do in July), I thought I would make another video.

Let me know in the comments what was the best book you read in June. Enjoy!

Books Mentioned:
- Life by Committee by Corey Ann Haydu (Review)
- Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally
- Veronica Mars & The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham
- Open Road Summer by Emery Lord (Review)
- Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern (Review)
- Empower by Jessica Shirvington (Review)
- Half Bad by Sally Green
- Through to You by Lauren Barnholdt
- On the Fence by Kasie West (Review)
- Make It Count by Megan Erickson (Review)
- Five Ways to Fall by K.A. Tucker
- The Things You Kiss Goodbye by Leslie Connor
- City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
- Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
- Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater
- Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid
- Wildflower by Alecia Whitaker
- Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas
- Like No Other by Una LaMarche

On the Fence by Kasie West

Title: On the Fence

Author: Kasie West

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: July 1, 2014

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

She’s a tomboy. He’s the boy next door…

Charlie Reynolds can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn’t know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at a chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world. To cope with the stress of her new reality, Charlie takes to spending nights chatting with her neighbor Braden through the fence between their yards. As she grows to depend on their nightly Fence Chats, she realizes she’s got a bigger problem than speeding tickets—she’s falling for Braden. 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.

Fun, original, and endearing, On the Fence is a romantic comedy about finding yourself and finding love where you least expect.

It wasn’t until earlier this year that I finally picked up one of Kasie West’s books. But after I did, I was completely hooked. As you can imagine I was beyond excited about On the Fence. It’s a contemporary, it takes place in summer AND it has romance. It basically had “Emilie” written all over it. And I absolutely loved it.

Charlie Reynolds has always been one of the boys. Growing up with a father who’s a cop, three older brothers and a neighbour who might as well be her fourth brother, she knows how to act when it comes to sports and goofing off. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie has no clue where to even start. When she has to start working at a clothing store to pay off her speeding tickets, Charlie finds herself getting a crash course in how to be a girl. The stress of it all starts getting to her, and before long she finds herself having nightly chats with Braden through the fence that separates their yards. Charlie has known Braden her whole life, he’s practically a brother to her. But talking to him every night, Charlie realizes that she might be starting to see Braden as more than just her friend. Admitting to her feelings could change everything. Will Charlie take a chance and risk losing everything, including Braden?

Guys I love this book something fierce. I’ve been on a pretty good streak with books lately, but On the Fence is close to the top of the list when it comes to recent favourites. The fact that when I sat down to read it, I didn’t get up again until I was finished probably gives you a good idea of how much I loved On the Fence. Kasie West really hit the mark with this story. This story just felt incredibly real. There were so many moments while I was reading that I could honestly say I remembered feeling just the way Charlie did when I was sixteen. Beyond this story just feeling incredibly real, it was the perfect mix and fun and deep. There were parts of the story that went deeper than I thought they might have without it getting too heavy. There were so many times when I just found myself smiling, if not actually laughing. More than anything though, I loved the romance. I loved how it was understated and wasn’t necessarily the focal point of the story. And I ADORED the fact that it was a friendship before it became a romantic relationship. It made me love Charlie and Braden that much more.

I can’t even begin to explain how much I connected to Charlie. While reading On the Fence, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much of 16 year old me I saw in Charlie. Because of that, I became invested in her story so much faster. I could totally understand what she was going through: that moment when you realize you have to grow up, but growing up could mean everything changing. I loved seeing Charlie’s transformation over the course of this story, going from a complete tomboy to a sixteen-year-old girl who could give any boy a run for his money when it came to sports. So I loved Charlie. And just as much as I loved Charlie, I absolutely ADORED Braden. Braden was literally the boy next door. What I loved most about him was that he was Charlie’s friend long before something more started happening. Because of that, he knew Charlie in a way that no one else really did and he wasn’t afraid to be straight up with her. And just as Charlie was falling for him, I was falling for him. I really just couldn’t be helped. And then there were Charlie’s brothers. Sometimes, they kind of stole the show. I will say this: I would totally read a story all about Gage. 

Kasie West’s On the Fence was just as amazing and awesome as I hoped it would be. This was just the perfect summer contemporary story and I loved being able to connect to it as much as I did. Have I said it was perfect, yet? Because it was. 

Empower by Jessica Shirvington

Title: Empower (The Violet Eden Chapters #5)

Author: Jessica Shirvington

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: May 6, 2014

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

It has been two years since Violet Eden walked away from the city, her friends, her future and—most importantly—her soulmate, Lincoln. Part angel, part human, Violet is determined to stand by the promises she made to save the one she loves.

Living in the perpetual coldness of a broken soul she survives day to day as a Rogue Grigori in London.

But when an unexpected visitor shows up at her door, the news he bears about someone she swore to protect leaves Violet with no choice.

Even worse, she fears that this might all lead back to the night she tries hardest to forget. And what was taken without her permission.

Violet is going back to New York…and she knows exactly who is going to be there.

With Phoenix in her dreams and Lincoln in her heart she knows it is only a matter of time before the final choice must be made.

I feel like I say this in every review I write for books in this series, but I absolutely love Jessica Shirvington’s Violet Eden books. With each book, it feels like the story gets even better. But with Empower, I was a little nervous because it is the last book in the series. But I really shouldn’t have been worried, because Jessica Shirvington didn’t even come close to letting me down.

For the last two years, Violet has been on her own. After what happened with Lilith, she had to walk away from everything she’s ever known, from the people she cares about, from her soul mate. Violet knew that if she stayed behind, she would have to reconnect her soul with Lincoln’s. And if anything happens, she can’t handle her soul shattering a second time. But when someone from her past shows up at her door, Violet gets pulled back into the life she thought she had left behind. And before she knows it, Violet is facing everything and everyone she has worked so hard to put behind her. Now Violet has to race against time if she wants to save her friends and the world as they know. But can she do it with Phoenix and Lincoln around?

I apologize in advance if I’m not entirely coherent in this review because this book just gave me ALL THE FEELINGS. So now that I’ve apologized for the babbling that’s likely to come, here goes. After I finished reading Endless earlier this year, I was a little worried about what would be going down in Empower. That ending left me a little gutted. But as afraid as I was of Empower, I knew I had to read it because I just HAD TO KNOW how it would all end. So I started to read, and needless to say that it didn’t take all that long for me to get completely sucked in to the story. Empower was just what I had hoped. The story was filled with action and twists, just like I’ve come to expect from Jessica Shirvington. And there was also the romance that I’ve loved for the past four books. Though it was different this time around. For the better part of the book, I was growing increasingly frustrated with romance. Though at times it was more like a lack of romance. I just wanted Violet to get with the program and fix things with Lincoln. But she was just being the stubborn and headstrong Violet I love, so it’s not like I can really hold it against her when it comes down to it. All I will say about the story and the ending it that it left me completely and totally satisfied. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better ending. It had me smiling and even tearing up. But don’t worry, those were totally happy tears, at least as far as the ending is concerned. Because there were totally some sad tears at other moments in the story.

I can only say so much about Violet, Lincoln, Phoenix, Spence and all the other people in this story before I start sounding like a broken record, but since this is the last book, I have lots of feelings I need to get out. Like I said earlier in this review, Violet is headstrong and stubborn and I love her for it. She’s the type of girl who doesn’t really let anything stand in her way and she just goes for it, even when it’s potentially suicidal. But the one thing she just wouldn’t go for in this book is Lincoln. And don’t even ask me to put how I feel about Lincoln into words because I just can’t. It’s just not possible. I have so much love for him and Empower has only made me love him that much more. For the first half of the story I was kinda annoyed with him, but then something happened (I can’t tell you what) and he just did a complete 180 and I loved him SO MUCH. So in case you missed it, I love Lincoln. Once again though, Phoenix is the one who took me by surprise. In my opinion, he had done a lot to redeem himself in Endless, and that definitely continued in Empower. And because of that, or other factors unknown to me at the moment, I started to love Phoenix in a whole new way. I’m not trying to excuse anything he’s done in the past, but he’s come a long way and in this book I felt his pain and I honestly wanted something good to finally happen to Phoenix because not only did he need it, but he also deserved it. My one disappointment with Empower is that there wasn’t more Spence. Over the course of these five books, Spence has become one of my favourite characters. Anytime he was around he kinda stole the show. And though he was an integral part of the story, there just wasn’t enough of him in Empower. So I’ll just be over here wishing for a spin-off all about Spence. Just think all the crazy situations he would get himself into.

In case it wasn’t obvious by all the rambling, I loved Empower. Jessica Shirvington wrote a fantastic conclusion to this series, and I couldn’t have wished for a better story. If you haven’t already checked out this series, I strongly recommend it. If angels are your thing, you won’t be disappointed. 

Make It Count by Megan Erickson

Title: Make It Count (Bowler University #1)

Author: Megan Erickson

Publisher: William Morrow Impulse

Release Date: June 3, 2014

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Kat Caruso wishes her brain had a return policy, or at least a complaint hot-line. The defective organ is constantly distracted, terrible at statistics, and absolutely flooded with inappropriate thoughts about her boyfriend’s gorgeous best friend, Alec…who just so happens to be her brand new tutor. Who knew nerd was so hot?

Kat usually goes through tutors like she does boyfriends—both always seem to bail when they realize how hopeless she is. It’s safer for her heart to keep everyone at arm’s reach. But Alec is always stepping just a little too close.

Alec Stone should not be fantasizing about Kat. She’s adorable, unbelievably witty, and completely off limits. He’d never stab his best friend in the back…

But when secrets are revealed, the lines of loyalty are blurred. To make it count, Alec must learn messy human emotions can’t be solved like a trigonometry function. And Kat has to trust Alec may be the first guy to want her for who she is, and not in spite of it.

Guys, I love my fun and flirty New Adult. You’ve heard me say it before, but here I am saying it again. The reason I’m reiterating this fact is Megan Erickson’s Make It Count. This was a fun story that kept me turning the pages almost faster than I could read them. It was everything I wanted it to be.

Kat Caruso has always struggled in school. There’s nothing she can do about it, her brain just won’t cooperate. But she’s made it this far, and she’s determined to graduate from college. If only she could figure out what’s going on in her statistics class, she would be doing just fine. But every tutor she gets gives up on her when the going gets tough. Something changes though when Alec Stone becomes her tutor. Alec is smart, charming, and absolutely gorgeous. Kat would totally be interested if she didn’t already have a boyfriend…and if Alec didn’t happen to be that boyfriend’s best friend. Alec shouldn’t be thinking about Kat the way he is. He should just be focusing on helping her pass statistics. But Alec can’t help it, every time he sees Kat, his mind goes where it shouldn’t. Both Kat and Alec are drawn to each other, but first they have to work through messy emotions, emotions that can’t be fixed with a simple equation. 

I said it on Twitter after I finished reading the book, but here it is again: Megan Erickson’s Make It Count was just a fantastically fun read. There wasn’t a page of it that I didn’t enjoy. I will admit, though, that I was a little worried before I started reading. From the synopsis, it wasn’t clear whether or not cheating would be part of the story and that made me hesitant. As much as I’ll read just about anything if the premise appeals to me, cheating is one of the things I’m always on the fence about (when it comes to books and stories, I’m 100% against it in real life). But I decided to just go for it and see where the story would go. And I’m so glad that I made that decision. The whole cheating thing, in the way that I thought it was going to work, ended up being a non-issue. Beyond all that, I just really enjoyed this story. The romance was what I was hoping it would be, and so much of it was mixed in with Kat’s special brand of humour. Make It Count also went deeper than I thought it was going to be. I loved how it touched on learning disabilities and how the way that these can sometimes be perceived affects those affected by them. It made for a story that had more substance. But really, what I loved was the romance and everything happening with Kat and Alec.

How much did I love Kat and Alec? Let me count the ways. Okay, not really. But you get what I’m saying. I loved Kat and Alec. Both as individuals and together. I loved Kat for the way she didn’t take crap from people. Maybe it was sometimes a defence mechanism, but it still made me love her. But at the same time I felt for her because she was clearly struggling and was often a lot harder on herself that she really should have been. And that’s one of the reasons I loved Alec so much. He saw Kat in a way she didn’t think anybody could see him. I mean, Alec was great in other ways too, don’t get me wrong. But I really liked the way he was with Kat, how he saw the smart person she was under the bad grades and how he allowed himself to laugh whenever she was around. And the best part of Kat and Alec? The banter. Oh how I loved the banter between these two. Kat always seemed to catch Alec by surprise and Alec just went right along with it once he caught up. It was fantastic. The last thing I will say about these characters is that I can’t wait to find out about more of them in the next books.

In case it wasn’t clear, I really enjoyed Megan Erickson’s Make It Count. It’s the perfect light and fun read for summer. And if you’re looking to dip your toes into the New Adult pool, then this book will make a fantastic starting point!

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

Title: Open Road Summer

Author: Emery Lord

Publisher: Walker Childrens

Release Date: April 15, 2014

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O’Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind…and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah’s 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts. But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is always a risk worth taking. A fresh new voice in contemporary romance, Emery Lord’s gorgeous writing hits all the right notes.

You know those books everyone seems to be raving about? Those are the books I’m sometimes wary of. I’m afraid that it just won’t live up to the hype. But then I’ll give in and read the book and every so often, I will be completely blown away by what I read and understand what the hype was all about. Most recently that happened with Emery Lord’s Open Road Summer. And I couldn’t be happier about it.

Reagan O’Neill is ready for a summer on the road with her country music superstar best friend, Lilah Montgomery. This summer is supposed to be about getting over heartbreak and leaving behind all the drama that has followed her in the last year. But when rumours about Lilah start making front page news, Matt Finch joins the tour as an opening act and as a publicity stunt to quiet the rumours. Reagan is determined to stay away from Matt, to not let herself fall for him. But before long she can’t do much to resist Matt’s boy-next-door charm and Reagan once again finds herself falling for someone. Could things be different this time though?

To everyone who told me Open Road Summer by Emery Lord was amazing: you were so totally, absolutely right. I can’t even begin to explain how much I loved this book and how perfect it felt while I was reading it. I’m not going to lie, I just flew through this book. I picked it up and I couldn’t even handle having to put it down to sleep and go to work. And the whole time I was reading, I just had this big smile on my face. Because if nothing else, Open Road Summer made me happy. It was just the light and fun summer read I wanted it to be, but it was also a whole lot more. Once I started scratching the surface, I saw that there was so much more to this story. Sure, it was a about a summer country music tour, but it was also about growing up and finding your place in the world. It was about mending a broken heart but also still being open to love. It was about learning to live with grief and finding joy in life again. So yeah, Emery Lord’s Open Road Summer was a whole lot more than just a fun summery read. 

I couldn’t help but love Reagan. I started reading, and right away I connected with her and I knew that I would spend the entire length of the story rooting for her. How could I not? She was trying to do better for herself and give herself more credit. And I loved seeing her growth over the course of the story, even if sometimes I wanted to yell at her to see what was right in front of her. More than just Reagan by herself, I loved her friendship with Dee (Lilah). The way Reagan and Dee were portrayed as friends just felt real and honest. It wasn’t always pretty, but they would be there for each other no matter what. And now for the gushing. Because how can I not gush about Matt Finch? Everyone always seemed to be talking about how awesome Matt was and in my mind he couldn’t possibly have lived up to that. But he totally did. In fact, Matt Finch surpassed any expectations I may have had for him. And I LOVED him. I highly doubt anything I could possibly say about him would even come close to doing him justice. He’s just that fantastic a person and character. But what I loved most about him was that he wasn’t perfect and he didn’t pretend to be. And he was just a genuinely GOOD and SWEET guy. And honestly, those are the best.

So yes, I loved Emery Lord’s Open Road Summer. I can’t even begin to describe how much. But hopefully you’ve gotten the idea. If you’re afraid of the hype surrounding this book, don’t be. I was hesitant and afraid, but in the end, I couldn’t possibly have loved this book any more than I did.

Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern

Title: Say What You Will

Author: Cammie McGovern

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: June 3, 2014

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars meets Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park in this beautifully written, incredibly honest, and emotionally poignant novel. Cammie McGovern’s insightful young adult debut is a heartfelt and heartbreaking story about how we can all feel lost until we find someone who loves us because of our faults, not in spite of them.

Born with cerebral palsy, Amy can’t walk without a walker, talk without a voice box, or even fully control her facial expressions. Plagued by obsessive-compulsive disorder, Matthew is consumed with repeated thoughts, neurotic rituals, and crippling fear. Both in desperate need of someone to help them reach out to the world, Amy and Matthew are more alike than either ever realized.

When Amy decides to hire student aides to help her in her senior year at Coral Hills High School, these two teens are thrust into each other’s lives. As they begin to spend time with each other, what started as a blossoming friendship eventually grows into something neither expected.

By this point, you’re probably tired of hearing it, but I love contemporary YA fiction. There’s just something about the genre that appeals to me in a way that no other genre really does. Cammie McGovern’s Say What You Will, though had a different appeal. Not only was it a contemporary story, but it was one that featured characters that are completely different from what’s out there. And, no surprise, I absolutely loved it. 

Amy has always been the girl who can’t walk without assistance and who needs a computer to be able to talk. It’s never bothered Amy that she’s different from everyone else at her school. She doesn’t care what they think, she’s happy and that’s all that really matters. But when Matthew points out to her that maybe things aren’t exactly the way she sees them, Amy realizes that he may be right. About to start her senior year of high school, she decides to hire student aides to help her get around school. Soon, Amy finds herself spending more time with Matthew and she quickly discovers that he may not be all that different from her. Over the course of that year, both Matthew and Amy will discover that needing help may not be the worse thing that has ever happened to them.

Here’s the thing about Cammie McGovern’s Say What You Will: you won’t find another story like it right now in YA. Or at least there isn’t one that I know of. For that reason alone, I really wanted to read this book. And, you know, the cover was really pretty so there’s that too. But in all seriousness, Say What You Will was just a beautiful story. Right from the start I was hooked, wanting to find out more about these two teenagers who are trying to find their place in a world that sees them as different and isn’t all that ready to accept them.  Because really, that’s what this story was about: accepting differences and finding your place in the world. And if nothing else, Cammie McGovern succeeded in showing readers that just because someone looks different on the outside, it doesn’t mean they aren’t just like you in all other aspects of their person. Or at least, I hope readers were convinced, because I know I was. Say What You Will is just an all-around powerful and moving story and I just couldn’t get enough of it.

Amy and Matthew will forever hold a place in my heart. They’re also two characters I won’t be forgetting about any time soon. What I loved about them was that they didn’t define themselves based solely on the fact that they had cerebral palsy (Amy) and obsessive compulsive disorder (Matthew). To themselves, and to each other, they were a lot more than that. Because of that, both of them took me by surprise. I loved Amy’s enthusiasm in the face of everything she had to go through. I loved seeing Matthew become more and more comfortable with Amy and start to overcome some of his compulsions. And I just loved the relationship between the two of them, especially that it wasn’t perfect. It just made it all feel that much more real. And I’m not going to lie, Amy and Matthew totally made me cry, both happy and sad tears. I just couldn’t help it. 

There’s really no other way to put it: Cammie McGovern’s Say What You Will is simply a book everyone should read. This is a book that will make you go through the whole range of human emotion and leave you completely raw. But it’s so, completely and totally worth it.

Life by Committee by Corey Ann Haydu

Title: Life by Committee

Author: Corey Ann Haydu

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Release Date: May 13, 2014

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Some secrets are too good to keep.

Tabitha might be the only girl in the history of the world who actually gets less popular when she gets hot. But her so-called friends say she’s changed, and they’ve dropped her flat.

Now Tab has no one to tell about the best and worst thing that has ever happened to her: Joe, who spills his most intimate secrets to her in their nightly online chats. god, whose touch is so electric, it makes Tab wonder if she could survive and actual kiss. Joe, who has Tabitha brimming with the restless energy of falling in love. Joe, who is someone else’s boyfriend.

Just when Tab is afraid she’ll burst from keeping the secret of Joe inside, she finds Life by Committee. The rules of LBC are simple: tell a secret, receive an assignment. Complete the assignment to keep your secret safe.

Tab likes it that the assignments push her to her limits, empowering her to live boldly and go further than she’d ever go on her own.

But in the name of truth and bravery, how far is too far to go?

Corey Ann Haydu’s Life by Committee is one of those books that has been talked about for a long time, to the point where I don’t even really remember what made me want to read it. Sure, it’s contemporary and as we all know, I’ll read pretty much anything contemporary. But beyond that I don’t really know why. And I guess because of that, I had this idea in my head of what the book would be. In the end, it wasn’t what I had thought it was going to be. It was actually better.

Since the beginning of the school year, Tabitha has felt isolated. Ever since she got hotter, her old friends dropped her, saying she was no longer the same person. To everyone, it looks like Tab only has one friend, Elise. But what they don’t know, is she spends all her nights chatting online with Joe. Joe who has a girlfriend everyone loves. And who Joe says he loves. But Joe also tells Tabitha that he’s starting to fall for her. Tab wants nothing more than to tell someone her secret, but who can she tell? Her best friend who would disapprove of the whole thing? Her admittedly cool parents? There’s no one Tab can talk to. Until she stumbles across Life by Committee. On LBC, Tabitha can finally share her secret. But there is one catch, for every secret she shares, she has to complete an assignment. If doesn’t complete her assignment before the deadline, her secrets will be revealed. Completing the assignments, Tabitha feels strong and brave. But what if it goes too far?

Life by Committee was an interesting read for me. For one thing, I started reading the book before I left for BEA, got about 100 pages in and then left for a week. And then I picked it back up when I got back. Because of that, I almost had to get into the story twice. But in a way it worked for me. I don’t really know how to explain it, but it did. And then, as I’ve mentioned before, there was the fact that I had completely the wrong idea about this book. For whatever reason, I thought Life by Committee was going to be something completely different. If I’m being honest, what I thought it was going to be didn’t really make much sense so I’m really happy with what the story ended up being. There were so many things about this story that intrigued. Just the whole concept of the Life by Committee website was fascinating to me. The idea that you would willingly share your secrets with people who will basically make it a point to blackmail you with them if you don’t do what they say. And while I wouldn’t personally get involved in something like that, I could see why the people who were on the site were there, and why, ultimately, Tabitha went there. Even if I also had some issues with Tabitha herself, but I’ll get to that in a moment. I guess my one gripe with the book was how it all ended. Don’t get me wrong, I loved how it all worked itself out. I just wish I could have seen more of what happens after everything goes down. And that has to do with some of the people involved.

I’ll admit that it didn’t take long for me to really like Tabitha. But it also didn’t take long for me to get annoyed with her. So while reading, I was kinda conflicted. I could see so much greatness in Tabitha, but at the same time, the more I read the more I grew frustrated with her because I could see right through everything Joe was saying to her. And I’m not going to lie, I got more than a little annoyed at the whole cheating part of things. But eventually it did work itself out and I totally get that Tab had to go through that in order to come out stronger and better. When she finally got it, I was back with the Tabitha love. The people who really stole the show, though, were Tabitha’s parents, Cate and Paul. So often in YA novels, parents tend to be conveniently absent. But it wasn’t the case here. I loved Cate and Paul. They weren’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination (I mean, Paul is a stoner) but they were there for their daughter when she needed them to be and I appreciated that so much. And that brings me to the one person I wish I could have seen more of, Devon. It seemed at times that so much of Tabitha’s backstory revolved around him, especially the fallout with her former friends, and yet I feel like I only got a few brief glimpses of Devon. Sure, I really liked those glimpses, but I just wish I could have seen more. 

Overall, Corey Ann Haydu’s Life by Committee is a book I really enjoyed. Though there were some aspects of the story I had my issues with, they didn’t stop me from turning pages faster and faster to see what would happen next. If you’re looking for your next contemporary read, then Life by Committee might be something you want to pick up.

Recap - Book Expo America 2014

So instead of writing a REALLY long post recap-ing last week's adventures at Book Expo America, I thought I would film a video. This way I can talk to you all about it and share some of the books I picked up I am most excited about reading. 

This is my first time doing a video, so bear with me! Enjoy and let me know in the comments if you would be interested in seeing more videos on the blog!