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If I Tell by Janet Gurtler
It was like watching a train wreck. I wanted to look away but couldn't take my eyes off them.
Her best friend and her mom's boyfriend. Locking lips. This is the secret Jasmine Evans has to keep at all costs. Because her mom is pregnant, and Jaz doesn't want to ruin her life-again (just being born did it the first time). But the harder Jaz tries to pretend everything is okay, the faster her life spins out of control. Until Jackson. He doesn't care about the popularity of her friends or the color of her skin. But can she really trust a guy who just transferred in from reform school? She might be willing to chance the heartbreak, but telling him everything and risking the truth getting out is a whole other level of scary.
Review:
I really enjoyed Janet's first book, I'm Not Her, but I had a hard time connecting with If I Tell. I love a good contemporary and the plot intrigued me right away. The fact that the main character, Jaz, had a secret that was weighing her down was very interesting and I wanted to know more about this girl and what she had seen. Unfortunately, I found Jaz hard to connect with because of her poor attitude. I understood that she felt confused about her racial identity, but I wish she didn't complain so much and rather tried to find herself in a different way. I felt for Jaz because it must be hard growing up bi-racial with two white grandparents and no one else to relate to, but she seemed to never want to try and fit in but always just pushed people away. The plot was fast paced and I liked the uniqueness of Jaz's character, as well as the large role her family played in the story. All in all, I enjoyed Janet's second novel, but I wish I could have connected with Jaz more. I will definitely be picking up more by Janet in the future because her novels always deal with very real and contemporary issues.
Overall: 3 out of 5 stars
October 1, 2011/Sourcebooks Fire/244 Pages/Young Adult
Source: Publisher
Other books by this author: I'm Not Her, Who I Kissed, How I Lost You (2013)
Links: Author Website/Goodreads
Links: Author Website/Goodreads
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Tempestuous by Lesley Livingston "I don't love Sonny Flannery."
That's the lie Kelley Winslow told to protect the boy she loves from a power he doesn't know he possesses. Devastated, Sonny retreats to a haven for Lost Fae that's hidden deep underneath New York City.
But Kelley's not about to let things end in heartbreak. To get Sonny back, she's got to find out who's after his magick—and how to use her own. She's got to uncover who's recruiting Janus Guards to murderously hunt innocent Faerie. She's got to help rebuild the shattered theater company she called family. And she's got to do it all without getting dangerously distracted by the Fennrys Wolf, whose legendary heart of stone seems to melt whenever he's around Kelley.
Review:
I flew through the first two books in this series and was beyond excited when I got a copy of Tempestuous. But, for some reason, it has just been sitting on my bookshelves for way too long! I wanted to catch up on some series over my winter break, so I finally read Tempestuous! It took me a little while to get into this one, but it soon picked up and I was caught up in the action and adventure I had come to love in the Wondrous Strange series. I kind of wished I had re-read Wondrous Strange and Darklight first because some aspects of the magick and different characters were a little fuzzy to me. Still, a lot of things came back to me the more I read and the last 100 pages or so had me on the edge of my seat. There were a lot of twists and turns and revelations in Tempestuous and while this wasn't my favorite of the series, it was a satisfying conclusion to what I feel is one of the best written YA series. Sonny and Kelley are two of my favorite characters and I will certainly miss them! I highly recommend this series even if you are not normally a fan of faeries and I can't wait to see what's next for Livingston.
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
December 21, 2010/HarperTeen/368 Pages/Young Adult/Book Three
Source: Publisher
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Look for more mini-reviews soon!
I loved the Wondrous Strange trilogy! So well written and adventure packed. I don't really like fae stories but this one is an exception.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean-- this series is fantastic! I'm so sad that is it over.
Delete*sigh* I didn't like If I TEll either and I expected to like it, there was no connection for me :(
ReplyDelete