Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

To give this book some credit, it was not as bad as I expected. That is to say, it's not as bad as Beautiful Disaster which is the standard I now compare all these sorts of romance books to. Having said that, boy is this book one steaming pile of clichés.

Brittany is your typical blonde girl perfectionist, Alex is your typical bad boy Mexican gang member. They get the hots for each other, they fight, they finally get together, some ridiculous conflict gets in the way...there's nothing new here is what I'm saying. But on the whole, it was marginally better than the worst I've seen of these bad boy books. So what didn't I like?

1) The romance-Okay, this might seem a bit obvious at first. But what I mean is, unlike some examples the courting of these two star-crossed teens is actually okay. There's no stalking (just mild kidnapping), boundaries are respected and they don't even kiss for like a 100 pages. But the second these two get together it all falls apart. Literally, for the two or three chapters they're 'happy' before the standard conflict kicks in, all they do is fight and prove how different they are. How I'm supposed to think they have a happy future is beyond me but thank god for the epilogue to prove me wrong!

2) The epilogue-Alright, the kid thing was cute if not entirely clichéd. I'm talking more about the fact they went to the same college and both decided to take Chemistry and then developed a not-quite-cure for Alzheimer's, presumably together. Because you know, the book went to such lengths to show us how much they love and are dedicated to that subject. Also GET IT THEY HAVE CHEMISTRY LOL

3) ALL THE GRATUITOUS SPANISH.

Yes, Alex is Mexican. We get it, Mexicans are hot. But literally, every scene with them has so much Spanish sprinkled around that it feels like burritos are being jammed down my throat as I read it

4) The 'mystery' of Alex's father's death-Because it was so obvious.

All in all, this book has some nice elements. I liked Brittany's sister and I think she added an element not usually explored in YA fiction. Also unlike some romances, there were actually quite a lot of prominent side characters and the main characters definitely had a life outside their relationship. If you like this genre then you could do far worse than this book. If not, well you're probably not going to read it anyway

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They All Fall Down by Roxanne St. Claire

Not gonna lie, I fully expected this book to be terrible.

Oh come on, the description was so blatantly riding on the coattails of Pretty Little Liars. So why did I read it? Well, I'm a sucker for a good mystery and I was secretly hoping this book would do what PLL failed to-create a good mystery with interesting characters.

This book sucked me in instantly. For the first half I couldn't put it down. Instead of having the main girl be your typical popular girl like in PLL, the author opted to have a more average nerdy girl voted onto the list. This certainly helped with making the character likeable and the narration more bearable. The other characters were less interesting but the only one I hated was Kenzie's friend. She was your typical jealous friend type who only seemed to exist solely to create drama and screw up the plot.

The second half of this book though...oh god, it was hard to swallow. I'm going to keep this review spoiler free so all I'll say is that the resolution to the mystery was not what I wanted at all. It was very original I'll give it that but still, it wasn't the kind of genre I normally read. Thankfully the writing was good enough to save it...just.

One thing I did like is that the main character's stupidly reckless behaviour was somewhat excused by her paranoid and scared-of-life mother. It might not have worked 100% but it was a nice touch and much better than just having the main character act like an idiot for no reason.

On the whole, They All Fall Down is a curious one. It isn't the horror I wanted nor the kind of murder mystery I like but it was enjoyable enough and much, much better than I thought it would be. Pretty Little Liars it isn't and it's almost a shame it's been marketed this way. It's a good book but I feel a lot of people will be disappointed with how it plays out based on the blurb.

Overall Score:

.5

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

After reading heaps and heaps of reviews about how people loved this book, I can't help but feel like I'm missing something here.

Did we read the same book? Honestly, I don't see how I'm supposed to feel anything reading about this relationship (if you can call it that). From the start it was painfully clear that these two weren't meant to be together. Min is a pretentious film-lover, Ed is a typical jock. ON THE FIRST DATE he isn't getting her. I never believed they were in love for one second, let alone 300-odd pages.

This leads me to another problem. This entire book is Min writing her ex a letter about their relationship. Except their relationship didn't even last two months. This coupled with the way she narrates it just implies to me that she became waaaaaay too obsessed and for no real reason. Ed isn't attractive, he isn't charming or witty or charismatic in any way. Am I supposed to see this as Min being a silly teenager? If so, then the execution is very poor because it felt accidental. Also, why write a book about it and make the prose so very literary?

The writing style is maybe the only thing that made this book tolerable and that's not saying much. It's pretentious, the sentences go on far too long and Min spends way too much time getting to the point. I can't say I felt particularly attached to any of the characters. The illustrations are nice I guess? All in all, a flimsy book held together by pretty artwork and presentation. Not worth spending time or money on.

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Falls the Shadow by Stefanie Gaither

Argh, this book was so frustrating!

Don't get me wrong, it's a decent read. I just feel cheated somewhat in that the story promised was not the story delivered in my eyes. There are so many books about cloning and I've never had much of a desire to read them but the blurb of this book was so inviting that I had to give it a look. And like I said, it's not a bad book. But oh, the author just had to go for the bigger picture.

Here's what I wanted from the book-an intriguing, philosophical look at the implications of cloning using the family unit as the basis for the story. Here's what happens-it starts off well and then soon descends into the usual 'rebellion' plot line that The Hunger Games has made so popular.

Listen to me YA authors, you don't always have to threaten all of society to make an interesting story. I picked up this book on the basis that I wanted to hear about what one girl thought about her sister being replaced with an identical clone (and a potentially dangerous one at that). I wanted to see the problems the clone had with fitting in, the kind of prejudices she would encounter. I did not want a story about taking down society and deadly assassins and stuff like that.

On the whole, Falls the Shadow is a perfectly acceptable book. I'd go so far as to say I even enjoyed it. I'm just disappointed by the fact that I feel like it could have been something so much better, something different. Instead we get the same-old rebellion story, albeit told well. It might not be better but hey, it could be a whole lot worse.

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Ghost House by Alexandra Adornetto

This book left me so torn. On the one hand, it was a total pile of clichés. On the other hand...damn it, it worked somehow.

Ghost House tells the story of Chloe, a girl with the power to see ghosts. After the death of her mother, Chloe's father is unable to cope and so sends her and her brother off to England to stay with their grandmother. Whilst there, Chloe becomes entangled with a vicious ghost called Isobel and falls in love with another ghost, Alex.

I had the strangest sense of deja-vu whilst reading this. Maybe it's just the fact it is a cliché storm but I swear I've encountered this exact story before. That aside, I couldn't help but really enjoy this book. It's predictable but the writing style and the characters manage to save it somehow. The only part I had trouble swallowing was the end. That was one cliché too far for me.

Am I glad I read this book? Despite that I feel like I shouldn't like it, yes I am. It's an absorbing little tale and better than your average YA book. It's just a shame that it couldn't be a bit more original in its plot.

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The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Dear Lord I hated this book. What's more, I hate it in a way which makes me angry that other people have given it good reviews.

First things first-this book is terribly written. As in, so bad it's painful. Sentences are phrased so badly that I genuinely started to think the author was just screwing with her readers.

'The thing is, Susannah was right. It was a summer I'd never, ever forget. It was the summer everything began. It was the summer I turned pretty. Because for the first time, I felt it. Pretty, I mean. Every summer up to this one, I believed it'd be different. Life would be different. And that summer, it finally was. I was.'

'It was also ironic, Steven teasing me about being flat-chested, because two summers later I had to wear a bra, but, like, for real.'

'Compared to you, everyone else is saltines, even Cam. And I hate saltines. You know that. You know everything about me, even this, which is that I really love you.'

The main character is supposed to be 15 but she reads more like a 12 year old. She has the super irritating problem of not being able to decide what guy she actually likes. Apparently she falls for Conrad when she's 10 and yet she also kinda likes his brother Jeremy when her friend flirts with him and she also likes a guy who hits on her at a party. Really, she just comes across as someone who craves male attention of any kind and will instantly 'fall in love' with whoever gives her that attention. She's also incredibly vain and self-centred.

'Had he caught me looking at myself in the mirror, checking myself out, admiring myself? Did everyone think I was vain and shallow now?'

'Was this because of me? All summer, Conrad's moodiness, locking himself up in his room-- had it really been because of me? Was it more than just his parents divorcing? Had he been that upset over seeing me with someone else?'

NO YOU IDIOT HIS MUM HAS CANCER.

The boys weren't much better but at least they were likeable. This is the kind of book which drains brain cells when you read it. I don't know what else I can say except for stay far, far away.

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If I Stay by Gayle Forman

The first time I read this book was two years ago and I raved about it. I couldn't wait to read the sequel and, after finally getting my hands on it the other day, I decided to reread the first one to remind myself of the story. Honestly? I don't know why I made such a fuss about it.

Yes, this book has a great plot. What impressed me when I first read it was how great the characters were AND how diverse they were. Hey look, well-developed adults in a YA book! Shocking! And yes, I stand by that statement. The characters are interesting and I loved reading about them. Mia in particular is a great narrator, somehow keeping the story flowing even when it's jumping about all over the place.

(Unrelated but seriously, Chloe Grace Moretz is in this movie. I HAD to include a gif of her)

Which brings me to why I was somewhat disappointed. The writing style is...simplistic. Maybe a little too simplistic. This coupled with the book being very short made me feel like I was reading something meant for younger readers. Heck, maybe I was. But the majority of YA books can stretch across the whole age range and this is one of the few I've read which made me feel like I was reading a YA book instead of just a book about teenagers.

Overall though, this is still a decent book driven by a great plot and intriguing characters. The sequel on the other hand...well, I'll save my thoughts on that for another review

Overall Score:

Easy by Tammara Webber

Huuurgh.

Oh book, I wanted to like you so badly. For the most part I did. But honestly, the parts I enjoyed most were the parts not focusing on the romance which is generally bad news for a romance book.

Don't get me wrong, this is no Beautiful Disaster. Lucas is a nice enough love interest and the conflicts they have aren't entirely stupid. But I still couldn't shake the feeling there was something unsettling about their relationship. Maybe it's best if I sum it up for you...

1) Lucas notices Jacqueline while she's still with her boyfriend, falls for her from afar
2) Lucas notices they've broken up and semi-stalks her in a way which isn't full-blown stalking but is still uncomfortably close to it
3) Lucas saves Jacqueline from getting sexually assaulted
4) Lucas gets assigned as her tutor, doesn't admit it's him and starts flirting with her via email
5) Lucas also starts flirting with her in their real-life interactions
6) They predictably get together, blah blah blah

Okay, let's start with the emails. Before we learn they're from Lucas, I found them creepy as shit. I mean this guy has been assigned as her tutor, knows she's just had a bad breakup and proceeds to just flirt with her shamelessly despite the fact they've never met? Afterwards...well, it's still a little weird but more understandable I guess. Kinda.

Look, I totally get the 'falling for someone who's taken' thing. But the fact he seeks her out the second she doesn't have a boyfriend anymore coupled with him rescuing her from a sexual assault and then romancing her is...not okay. I like him as a character and I think they could have worked as a couple but the timing and psychology behind it is all wrong.

Moving on from that though, I did enjoy this book. It handles sexual assault reasonably well (certainly better than a lot of other romance books) and while Jacqueline is a bit dim about her attacker, she doesn't fall into the complete idiot territory. I found the other characters likeable (especially Erin) and on the whole, this is a good book. It's just a shame I couldn't get behind the main romance in it 100%.

Overall Score:

.5

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

I wanted to read this book years ago. I remember going into my local bookshop about a dozen or so times and each time I'd pick it up, consider buying it before ultimately walking out again. To be honest, I completely forgot about it after that until I saw the movie trailer. It looked so good that I decided to go see it, making a vow to read the book first of course.

God I loved this book. So much so that I stayed up an extra two hours until 4 am just to finish reading it. Before I Go to Sleep tells the story of a woman who loses all her memories each night while she sleeps and so wakes up with no idea who she is. Fortunately her husband is there to tell her everything only she discovers that she's been seeing a therapist behind his back and keeping a diary which slowly reveals some startling secrets...

As a Psychology student, I was all prepared to hate this book. I'm used to the media taking liberties with Psychology but thankfully I was pleasantly surprised. Okay granted, some artistic license is taken with the way Christine's amnesia works but on the whole, it was reasonably accurate. Also I am so glad  that [HIGHLIGHT TEXT FOR SPOILERS] the therapist was not evil. That happens far too often in fiction and it just sends a bad message.

There's not really much else I can say to be honest. I did see the ending coming but only because I basically guessed every possible ending and the book was very good at creating doubt and disguising what was actually going to happen. All I can say is read it yourself. If you're looking for a good thriller that focuses very much on the characters and creating tension, you won't be disappointed.

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Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Hey look, a book which isn't YA!

I read Gone Girl on a random whim. I should probably make it known that I absolutely adore murder mysteries but usually don't read anything that isn't written by Agatha Christie. I also tend to shy away from thrillers because a lot of them focus less on the mystery and more on the EXCITING CAR CHASES AND PLOT part. But Gone Girl was intriguing enough for me to try it and I'm glad I did,

Gone Girl is the story of a man called Nick and a woman called Amy. On their anniversary, Amy disappears and Nick finds himself the top suspect for murder. The book is split into three parts and each chapter alternates narrator. This brings me to my first issue-the first part. It becomes apparent pretty quickly that Nick is hiding some stuff from the reader which is supposed to make him seem super suspicious. The trouble is, it's so obvious that you don't suspect him because of how obvious it is.

This is my main issue with this book on the whole. It's clear that the way it's supposed to be is the reader suspects Nick in the first part and then is totally shocked when *GASP* Amy turns out to be the evil mastermind all along! OMG, Gillian Flynn is so clever, I never saw that coming etc etc. As I mentioned though, it's so clear that a twist is coming that the first part of the book seems pointless. I knew it wasn't Nick because if it was, the book would have been two-thirds shorter. So instead of coming across as clever, it just frustrates the reader while they wait to get to the good part.

After that however, Gone Girl actually becomes quite an interesting story. Amy is one of the least sympathetic characters I've ever encountered and the fact Nick isn't that great a person either stops her being cartoonishly bad. I would have enjoyed this book a lot more and given it a much higher rating if it weren't for one thing.

The ending.

Major spoiler here but Amy does not get her comeuppance. This is good in a sense that it's probably more realistic but bad because it is really, really unsatisfying. Flynn creates the ultimate bitch character and then SHE GETS AWAY WITH IT ALL. Not only that, but she remains completely evil. It's one of the most frustrating endings I've ever encountered.

Ultimately, how much you enjoy this book will depend on your ability to deal with an unsatisfying ending. Though this review has mostly focused on the negatives, I did really enjoy a large portion of it. It's just a shame that certain things let it down

Overall Score: 

.5