A Beautiful Wedding by Jamie McGuire

Okay, I am now utterly convinced that Jamie McGuire has come to her senses and realised what a terrible thing she has created in these romance books. Because that's the only way I can explain how ridiculous this is.

'It was full of thought. A heavy, thoughtful thought that made me think heavier, thoughtful thoughts. But not second thoughts.'

Is this deliberately silly in an attempt to be humorous? Or just terrible? I'm inclined to go with the latter.

'Adrenaline burst from where adrenaline bursts from'

Yep, definitely terrible writing.

Okay, so this is the book which retcons Abby and Travis's awful decision to get married out of love and instead makes it an awful decision to get married so Travis won't go to prison for the fire in the last book. Because you know, that totally makes sense. This is basically just 96 pages of drivel about their wedding and I think the author knows it. What makes me think that? Well, there are just odd details which seem...off. Like Travis makes a big deal out of getting an Elvis impersonator for their wedding and actually describes having one as being 'classy'. And the colour scheme for said wedding is purple and freaking orange. I'm pretty sure by this point, Jamie McGuire is openly screwing with her readers to see how much crap she can get away with.

All of the things which made the last books so terrifying are still here. Mommy issues!

“I saw pictures of my parents’ wedding. I thought Mom was the most beautiful bride I’d ever see. Then I saw you at the chapel, and I changed my mind.”

Intense, disturbingly unhealthy jealousy!

'I shook my head. “We don’t go to clubs without each other. She wouldn’t do that.”'

'She’d left the day before, and that was the first time we’d been apart since we’d been married.' 

They've been together a year at this point.

'Griffin placed the transfer onto my skin and pressed. Travis looked like he wanted to kill him for touching me.'

The guy in that last one is a tattoo artist by the way. Yep, she's having his name tattooed onto her and he's still jealous.

Oh god, I am so done with these books. I'm not sure what else I can say except for the fact I've read three of them now and all three are the same story. Not even in a technical way, I mean literally the same story. Thank god there aren't any more of them because I don't think I could handle another.

Also, what the hell happened to their dog? This particular plot device doesn't even get a single mention which means I can only assume it perished horribly in the fire and completely missed out on the whole vapid wedding.

Lucky thing.

Overall Score:

Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Hey look, it's the sequel no one wanted!

Actually no, the word 'sequel' is far too kind. It's more like 'Hey look, it's the rehashing of the first story no one wanted which is basically identical in every way!'. I read this book mostly out of curiosity, prepared to give it the same meh review I gave the first one. But this book has made me angry.

Walking Disaster is essentially Beautiful Disaster told from Travis's point of view. At first I was sort of hopeful. Maybe he won't seem so crazy and abusive if it's told from his POV. But dear god, I actually think it manages to do the impossible and make it worse.

In my review of the first one I didn't really go into detail about what exactly made their relationship so dysfunctional. Now though I am far too pissed to let things slide.

 This relationship is so messed up. This book begins with a scene of Travis's mother dying in which her last words are basically 'Find someone you love and fight for them'. These words then essentially cause Travis to lose his shit completely whilst pursuing Abby, convinced that 'fighting' translates to being an utter douchebag. One paragraph at the end of the book describes how he feels at peace once him and Abby are married since he has finally done exactly what his mother wanted him to. That is not wanting to follow good advice from a dying parent, that's a terrifying obsession. There is also some very uncomfortable Freudian-esque subtext here which is followed up later. The way Travis and his family talk about Abby, it's pretty clear they consider her a replacement mother. If that doesn't make your skin crawl then don't worry, there's plenty of other stuff which will.

Travis falls into that classic Madonna-Whore complex thing. Every girl in the world is a slut (or as he calls them, 'vultures') because she sleeps with him, with the exception of Abby of course. This brings us to the origin of Abby's nickname 'Pigeon' which believe me, is frigging hilarious.

'I decided a long time ago I would feed on vultures until a dove came along. A pigeon.'

Dear god, this whole thing is nonsensical. It's painfully obvious this was just shoehorned in to try and explain the nickname and it doesn't make a lick of sense. I could maybe swallow it if he called her 'dove' but he just jumps from dove to pigeon with zero logic. Better yet, he uses this weird comment with his dad later on who instantly understands despite no explanation.

Travis is a hypocrite. Of course he's allowed to ogle Abby and constantly talk about how beautiful/sexy/desirable she is. Heaven forbid any other guy who does it though because clearly they just want to get into her pants whereas his feelings are TRUE LOVE!

'I imagined Parker noticing her soft, shiny skin as I had, but with less appreciation and more salaciousness.'

Guess what else? Abby and Travis don't practice safe sex. It's okay though because if you do it a certain time after your period then you totally can't get pregnant, no siree!

All this book succeeds in doing is making Travis look even more insane than he did in the first one. Essentially every thought he has is about Abby. He's constantly jealous and aggressive, and every time she isn't with him the man can barely function enough to put on clothes. He brings her to a fight because he can't stand the thought of her being away from him for two seconds and yet then spends the whole time worried she's going to get hit on by some other guy. THIS IS NOT ROMANTIC, THIS IS A SIGN OF SERIOUS EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS.

Overall, the story is exactly the same as the first time round. The fire which was the 'big ending' of the first book gets completely brushed over, almost as though the author realised how stupid it was but was already too heavily invested to stop. There's a godawful prologue tacked on where Travis is a secret service agent and they have twins and dear god, I couldn't care less. There is one more novella which I may power through out of sheer curiosity but trust me when I say this series is better left alone. Anyone who thinks Travis is a perfect love interest needs professional help.

Overall Score:

Panic by Lauren Oliver

People will do anything for money. That is essentially what this book wants us to swallow and fair enough, I can accept its general premise. Panic tells the story of two competitors in a game called 'Panic' where the teenagers of the town must complete ridiculously dangerous tasks in order to have the chance of winning $50,000+. Don't be tricked by the blurb, this is nothing like The Hunger Games. This is a story grounded in reality and the players all choose to take part, rather than being forced into it.

Our protagonists are Heather and Dodge, each taking part for their own personal reasons. Heather starts off in a bad place emotionally and joins in an attempt to make her life more exciting whilst Dodge is playing in order to get revenge for his sister who took part a few years prior. Both characters are fairly likable I guess but they seem rather distant. Maybe that's just down to the third person narration combined with the fact that their emotions aren't explored particularly effectively.

The tasks themselves are certainly dangerous enough and quite creative really. I do find it hard to accept that such a dangerous game would not only continue for so long but be supported by almost everyone in the town. It's made clear that people getting seriously injured and even dying is a common occurrence and yet very few actually voice any objections. And those that do tend not to stick to their opinion.

Mass apathy aside, what other problems are there with this book? Well, I didn't like the ending. Everything was tied up far too quickly and it was all a bit neat for my liking. Also the fact that Dodge was perfectly willing to commit murder and was only prevented from doing so through force didn't sit well with me. Are we still supposed to root for this guy and be glad he had a happy ending?

Overall, Panic is an okay book. There are elements of it I really liked and it was interesting enough to be worth reading. It didn't blow me away though and honestly, I can't say I really cared all that much about the characters. If I'd been more connected to them then I think I would have loved it but otherwise, it just missed the mark.

Overall Score:

.5

Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg

Oh, this book was a joy to read.

Right from the get-go, I knew it was going to be good. The characters are a breath of fresh air, undeniably likable and very funny. Levi is realistic as a guy (very important since he narrates every other chapter) and the dynamic between him and Macallan was very entertaining to read. The plot is technically simplistic and definitely predictable but who cares what the journey is when the company is this enjoyable to be around?

Alas I did knock one star off, mostly for personal reasons. While Macallan and Levi do make a lovely couple, just once I would like to read a book purely about friendship. Up until around page 70, I was loving it. One of my closest friends is male and I could identify so strongly with their situation. What I was hoping for was a story about the platonic side, how confusing that can be and how you have to cope with non-romantic jealousy. But of course, after page 70 the romance takes over and you get your standard 'will they, won't they' plot.

My only other quibbles were with how cliched it is. The execution is just about strong enough to pull it off but that doesn't make it excusable. Plus the whole Stacey thing at the end was far too easy, and the constant switching between POVs right at the end almost gave me whiplash.

In the end though, I can't help but love this book. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and who doesn't love that?

Overall Score:

Afterparty by Ann Redisch Stampler

Boy this book was a disappointment. By which I mean it was a rambling mess.

Okay, admittedly I didn't expect a whole lot from this book to begin with. The blurb sounded intriguing enough but it also sounded like your typical 'good girl goes off the rails' story. Unfortunately, in terms of originality it was seriously lacking. Normally good writing and solid characters can make up for a not-so-unique plot but again, Afterparty had neither of those. The result is like eating a very bland spongecake. It's dry, hard to swallow and you just keep wishing the whole experience was over.

The writing in this book isn't just bad because it's dull, it's bad because it's weird. There are a lot of run-on sentences and bizarre, never-ending metaphors which just leave you feeling confused and too exhausted to try and work them out. The characters are all very flat. You never really get the sense that Emma is in danger or really becoming a 'bad' girl. The others either have little to no personality or else they're just completely unrealistic.

In short, this book is not really worth reading. There are some redeeming parts but on the whole it's far too long and other books have told the same story in a far more interesting way. Hopefully this isn't a sign of what's to come for the rest of 2014.

Overall Score:

.5

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

Okay, confession time. At the risk of sounding a bit of an idiot, I didn't actually know this was a zombie book until I started reading it.

Yeah, yeah, I know. With Courtney Summers though it has reached the point where I will basically read anything she writes, occasionally without reading the blurb first. In a way though it was nice. For one thing, I was actually surprised when the zombies turned up. For another, I might not have gotten into the zombie genre if I hadn't read this book.

This is Not a Test is one of those books where not a lot happens. You want action? This isn't for you. But if you're looking for gut-wrenching desperation, a gritty look at broken people and a general downer atmosphere then this book is perfect.

There is no question about it, what drives this novel is its characters. Maybe it's just my naivety to zombie fiction but I found a zombie apocalypse from the POV of someone who doesn't want to survive very refreshing. Sloane stumbles through the book like she's in a dream and the whole narrative style has this sort of hazy, uncertain atmosphere.

Is it perfect? No. Some people are bound to find it drags in parts and the ending does that typical Summers' thing of not really giving the reader any closure. The ending annoyed me greatly the first time I read it but the more I think about it, the more I like it. The other thing is that this, like her other books, is not a particularly easy read in terms of emotions. It packs a punch similar to Some Girls Are and while it might not leave you feeling happy, it will certainly leave you feeling something.

Overall Score:

Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers

I was very excited to read this book. It sounded so different from Summers' other stuff that I was intrigued. Upon finishing though, I was somewhat disappointed.

This is the trouble with Summers' work-the endings. They're so damn unsatisfying that the moment you finish, you're left with nothing but bitter rage. And then you stop and think about it for a second and it quickly turns to love. The ending of Fall for Anything provides no answers whatsoever and really, there's no solution to the story. But such an ending fits so well with the theme of the book that it's hard for me to fault it for that. Plus my heart was pounding like crazy on the last couple of pages which is always a good sign.

The plot itself is not action-packed but the beautiful writing makes up for that greatly. I did notice the fact that nothing much happened more so than I did in her other books though. Eddie was naturally very passive as a narrator and while it didn't detract from the story, it did feel a lot shorter and less fleshed-out than some of her others perhaps did.

The title-I absolutely adore it. It's very, very clever for various reasons.

The characters-meh, perhaps not as intriguing as some of her past ones. Eddie was rather passive as I've mentioned which was fine since it fit with the idea that she was grieving. Milo on the other hand didn't really have much of a personality either. Culler was slightly better developed but barely. A lot of what you get from the characters is inferred rather than stated so there's a lot of room for different interpretations here.

Ultimately, I consider Fall for Anything the weakest of Summers' books. That still makes it a very good book on the whole with a reasonably strong plot and decent enough characters. I'd recommend reading it but after the other ones perhaps, and only if you're the sort of person who can cope with an open ending.

Overall Score:

.5

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

Those who have read my review of Cracked Up to Be might remember me saying that wasn't the book which made me fall in love with Summers' writing. That honour belongs to this book right here.

Some Girls Are is not an easy book to read but trust me, it is so, so worth it. It's gritty, it's powerful, it's so ugly at times that it can drive you into despair but there's something beautiful about the emotional punch it packs. Essentially, this tells the story of a queen bee's fall from grace and it holds nothing back. This is bullying at its very worst. Does it cross the line into unrealistic? I really, really hope so. I don't want to believe that the stuff in this book actually happens on a regular basis.

The hardest thing to read though is the ending. Why? Because there's no satisfying revenge! Throughout the whole novel I was screaming for Regina to retaliate, do something to bring them down. And to be fair she does, it just isn't nearly enough. Then again though, this also adds to the realism of the book. Sometimes people do get away with terrible stuff.

The ending was annoying for another reason too in that it didn't quite satisfy me. In some ways, an open ending was the perfect way to end it but at the same time some closure would have been nice. This is clearly a feature of Summers' writing though in general, given I had the same feeling after finishing Cracked Up to Be and This is Not a Test. Another feature of Summers' writing is great minor characters. Every person in this book feels like they could be real and it's wonderful to read a book with such depth.

Personally, I think this is a book that every girl (if not everyone) should read at some point in their lives. It's difficult to say that I enjoyed reading it because it is fairly brutal but I definitely loved it. Any book which can promote such strong emotions without resorting to cheap methods deserves credit.

Overall Score:

.5

From What I Remember by Stacey Kramer and Valerie Thomas

This is a difficult book to review. On the one hand, I did enjoy reading it. On the other hand, I am fully aware it's a pile of cliched fluff.

Now don't get me wrong, From What I Remember is very good cliched fluff. It's light, it's enjoyable but there are some serious topics covered here. The problem is, they are covered in a similar matter to how a romantic comedy would cover them. Also, everything short of a teen pregnancy/drug addiction is covered which makes it feel a bit overly packed at times.

From What I Remember is the tale of a drunken day in Mexico told from the POV of five different people. Surprisingly this is done quite well although aside from the chapters told by Kylie and Max, none of the others are essentially necessary. The ones from Jake's POV add a fair bit to the story but you could remove Will and Lily's chapters quite easily without losing any of the plot. This would be fine if they were strong enough characters to warrant their presence but sadly this isn't the case. Will is very little more than a gay stereotype, overly flamboyant and obsessed with improving Kylie's life. He's not as bad as some cases since he does get his own romance story but it's still pretty painful to read at times. Lily is another stereotype, the rich bitch girl. I'm most disappointed with the way she was handled to be honest. Seeing the story from her POV could have allowed for some real depth and while she is given a serious problem to deal with, she ultimately remains shallow and flat.

Good things about this book-Kylie was very likeable, Max less so (again, he remained somewhat of a jock stereotype, even at the end). There was a lot going on here so you're not likely to get bored. I liked the structuring mechanism of starting each chapter with a movie quote and Will and Kylie's exchanges did seem pretty realistic most of the time. The writing style isn't bad either, and I liked how the story continued a little beyond the happy 'boy-gets-girl' ending to show us what happens next.

On the whole, From What I Remember is no great work of literature. It's a fun book though and definitely worth reading. In terms of YA fluff, I'd say it's above the rest.

Overall Score:

.5

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Upon finishing Shiver, I wasn't so much left wanting more as I was left curious as to what else the story could do. After all, the first book was wrapped up so well by the end that I hardly saw the need for a sequel. I picked up Linger thinking that it was an unnecessary attempt at dragging things out to make more money. I am pleased to say that I was very much mistaken.

In fact, not only did I enjoy Linger but I actually thought it vastly improved upon the first book. My main issues regarding Shiver were with how difficult it was to warm to Grace and with how the side characters seemed a little flat. Both of these are fixed wonderfully in this book. Isabelle gets her own little subplot involving my favourite character of the series, new addition Cole. This both fleshes out her character and introduces another, more intriguing one, injecting some much-needed life into the beautifully told but admittedly rather dull Grace/Sam relationship.

And what about Grace herself? Well, this book is really about her coming to terms with possibly changing into a wolf, a twist which is obvious in hindsight but I genuinely didn't see coming at the time. I like it a lot as far as plots for the sequel could have gone and it shakes up the standard paranormal romance thing of 'one partner is human, the other is mystical'. The ending is an obvious sequel hook but it doesn't bother me as much as it would if the first book had ended that way.

I guess upon reflection that this book still suffers from one of the issues of the first one-that is again, nothing much particularly happens in it. But the characters were a lot stronger which helped disguise this fact and it felt like a more varied and interesting plot on the whole. Another issue I have with it is the disappearance of Shelby but I'm guessing she'll be saved for the third one, like Victoria was in Twilight.

Are my hopes high for the third one? After reading Linger, I'm definitely more intrigued than I was. Whether the conclusion can live up to it or not will remain to be seen.

Overall Score:

.5

Quicksilver by R. J. Anderson

As much as I enjoyed Ultraviolet, I couldn't bring myself to be terribly excited about its sequel. This was mainly down to my dissatisfaction with the ending which I've discussed already in my review of that book. Quicksilver moves away from the character of Alison and instead focuses on Tori, the rich girl from the first book who turned out to be an alien. The story is mainly about her trying to escape the various people who are after her and earn her freedom, as well as how she comes to terms with the fact that she's not of the world she grew up in.

I'm not all that keen on alien stories but Quicksilver was a pleasant surprise. A lot of this was down to the writing style which, while perhaps not as descriptive as in the first book due to a lack of Synesthesia, was still excellent nonetheless. Tori makes for a good narrator with a simple yet still thoughtful perspective on things, and I also grew to really like her as a character over the course of reading this book. I felt similar fondness for the other characters, in particular the new addition Milo.

So why don't I rate this book as highly as Ultraviolet?

Yeah. Despite the fact I was pleasantly surprised by this book, I can't ignore that it is basically a whole book about the one part of the first book I didn't like. It's not even so much the alien aspect either as that part is actually carried off pretty well. But I found the plot got a bit bogged down at times by the sci-fi elements and while it isn't a particularly long book, it felt longer because of it. Maybe it's just down to personal taste and the fact I don't enjoy heavy sci-fi, but it did prevent the book from appealing to me in the same way as the first one did.

On the whole, Quicksilver makes for a decent sequel. It's quite a feat for an author to change both the narrator and the genre in the sequel and still produce an excellent book, and for that I commend R. J. Anderson. Do I think it's as good as the first one? Personally, no. But that is due to my own preferences rather than a direct criticism of the book itself. If you've read Ultraviolet and didn't hate the ending, then I would definitely check out this book, to get closure if nothing else.

Overall Score:

.5