Wednesday 31 October 2012

Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry


Title; Pushing The Limits

Author; Katie McGarry

Publisher; Mira Ink

Publication Date; August 3rd 2012

Series; Pushing The Limits Book One (This book does conclude, the next story is for a different character in the series!)

Description; "I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

Do I recommend it? Yes

Who would I recommend it to? All of you, it's a book worth reading

Goodreads Average Rating; 4.25/5

My Rating; 4.5/5

Review; I'm going to give this book 4.5*s. I did enjoy, quite a lot actually, and usually I would give a book like this, that I stayed up to read and did not put down a full 5 stars, but I did have a few problems with this book.
Now, the book wasn't preachy. Not at all. But as an agnostic person I felt that God was mentioned to much for a book that involved no religion. It's like it was just thrown in sometimes. Just for the sake of it. There was one time when one of the characters asked another if they believed in God. That's a normal question, sure. But it felt like a thrown in question, because I don't feel it amounted or related to anything in that particular part of the book. Now, don't get me wrong. It wasn't preachy, and there was some points when the characters mentioned how they felt that God had given up on them. That was fine. That was relevant. I felt like sometimes God being mentioned wasn't relevant to the story.
Now don't go on to me about how people can express their religion and all that. I understand that, I am fine with people expressing their religion, either in person, or writing. That doesn't bother me. But it feels thrown in my face when it's not necessary.
Another problem for me was that we knew the problems were there, and we went into these problems slightly, but maybe not enough. You never really knew entirely what the characters were feeling. You had to guess things sometimes. I feel there could have been more to the world of the story, and more to the feelings and description of those feeling maybe. Because of this the problems seemed so over dramatic.

Now. What did I like about this book so much that despite my problems with it I still gave it a solid 4.5*s?

Well. There's also a lot to like about this book. The fact that the problems were based on something real. I think all of us would be damaged in some way if we went through what either of them went through, especially what Echo went through. It wasn't "my boyfriend broke up with me, I'm sad so I have to see a therapist," like it can be sometimes with books and authors who don't do research. No, this book was about damaged people who actually problems to be damaged about!
Most of the characters. Of course there is the exception of characters you're not supposed to like. I think Mrs Collins was my favourite character. She just seemed like the kind of person I'd like. Fast paced and an organised mess.
Echo was over dramatic with some things and a lot of the story seemed to revolve around her, but still I could help but like, and feel for her character.
Noah, he was so selfless! For his brothers, for Echo. And yet he could be slightly selfish at times. And sometimes like he just wanted to hold onto a childhood that was no longer there for him. My heard really went out to him.
Echo and Noah's relationship seem real. They had problems, things they had to work for. And things they had to work through. And I felt they were perfect for each other because it seemed like they needed each other.

Overall I felt that this book was worth the read. It is a book I could reread. And I would recommend it, but I'm warning you there are some things that might annoy you. But you never know, maybe I'm just being picky!

Wednesday 3 October 2012

Wellesley Wives by Suzy Duffy Blog Tour! Review and Giveaway!

The Giveaway is at the bottom of the page!
Title; Wellesley Wives

Author; Suzy Duffy

Publisher; The Writer's Coffee Shop

Publication Date; September 27th 2012

Series; The New England Trilogy Book One

Description; Popsy Power - a Boston society-wife and her best friend, Sandra seem to have it all with billionaire husbands and beautiful daughters. But things change.

From Bollinger to basic-wage, it's a roller coaster for the ladies who lunch. When the daughters land in a heap of trouble too, it's hardly surprising that their mother should worry about the next generation of Wellesley Wives.

Life can't always be fun in the sun, but that's why there's fur!
Sit back, relax and enjoy the wonderful world of the Wellesley Wives.

Star Rating; 5 Stars

Would I read anything else by this author? Yes

Would I recommend this book? Yes

Who would I recommend it to? Those who like Chick-lit and some humour with that chick-lit

Review; Sometimes the stories in woman's fiction and books that are classed as chick-lit are rushed. This was not the case with Wellesley Wives! The stories and lives of the characters were slowly introduced!
This is the kind of book you can get emotionally attached to. You laugh with the characters. You cry with the characters. You root for certain characters. You just can't help but be pulled into their lives. Even though this book alternates POVs, you can still easily get attached to the characters. Which can be hard with alternating POVs occasionally.
What I loved is that even though the characters live the rich lifestyle, they were still human. They had flaws, they had problems! When do you ever get a book set in the rich world with real characters? Now, finally!
As each individual woman goes through their hardships you can't help but feel for them! And root for them! You just hope they'll pull through. But most of the time we are all stronger than we first think.
This book was written just right! It really shows you that you should always persevere when life take a bad turn, and it also shows us that money isn't everything. What's most important are the people that are there.
I can't wait to see what Suzy gives us next!
This is definitely a book I would recommend, I hope you pick up your copy soon!

About The Author; Suzy Duffy is an international and #1 best-selling author. A former national radio DJ and TV presenter in her native Ireland, she moved to Boston with her husband, five children and one dog in 2009 in light of Europe’s economic downturn. Duffy’s colourful background has taken her from working in the United Nations’ Geneva headquarters to being a water-ski instructor in Greece to labouring as a corn cutter in the south of France.
Wellesley Wives, Duffy’s début U.S. book release, is the first in a New England based trilogy of novels. She is currently working on the second instalment, Newton Neighbours.
Wellesley Wives is currently available for pre-order via The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House, and will be available via all major online retailers as of September 27, 2012.
Find Suzy Duffy on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest, her website and on The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House site.

About The Giveaway;

This giveaway is for two e-book copies of Suzy Duffy's Wellesley Wives. If you win you will be emailed by Sarah Miniaci from The Writer's Coffee Shop. She will email you a copy of the e-book if you win!
The winners will be chosen randomly!
To enter simply use the RaffleCopter below!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday 2 October 2012

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Title; Amy and Roger's Epic Detour

Author; Morgan Matson

Publisher; Simon and Schuster

Publication Date; 2010

Description; 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.

Star Rating; 5 Stars

Would I read anything else by this author? Yes

Would I recommend this book? Yes

Who would I recommend it to? Everyone, but mainly those who like road trip novels and realistic, contemporary ya fiction.

Review; One of the (many) things I love about this book is that Amy suffers from anxiety, and you can tell that. She's not one of those characters that is "socially awkward" and made out to be an anxious person. No, you can see that she has actually symptoms of anxiety, and that the awkwardness is an added effect of the anxiety. As someone who suffers from anxiety, I appreciate the more true portrait.
The character development was great. We learned more and more about Amy and Roger as the book went on, and in the end I had a picture in my mind of who Amy and Roger were/are.
All of the characters were great. I fell in love with even the small characters. Because every single one of them was human. Every single one of them had flaws. But every single one of them also had a personality that you couldn't help but love. Except for maybe one character. *cough* Hadley *cough*
You know, I'm not entirely sure there was anything I disliked about this book. Sure, it has flaws, what book doesn't? But I didn't seem to notice any. Well, maybe the way Amy changed so fast. She went from Anxiety Girl to Almost Confident Girl seemingly overnight! Or maybe that the book is only set over about a week. And that there wasn't more Andrew and Derek! I liked both of their characters instantly, but they are only in the book for a few pages!
But overall this book is an amazing, slightly emotional read, that has romance, and a back story! I'd recommend it!