Mini-Reviews: Breathe and The Fault in Our Stars

Here are some more mini-reviews of books I read awhile back, but never got around to fully reviewing! Let me know your thoughts if you've read any of these!

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Breathe by Abbi Glines
Release date: June 4, 2013
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 333
Reading level: YA/New Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Book 1
Source: Publisher
Links: Author's Website/Goodreads 

Overall: 2.5 out of 5 stars

In the shore town of Sea Breeze, Sadie discovers that fame is nothing in the face of passion. A steamy read from bestselling author Abbi Glines.
Sadie White’s summer job is at the beach, but she won’t be working as a lifeguard. Since her mom is pregnant and refuses to work, Sadie will be taking over as a domestic servant for a wealthy family on a nearby island.
When the family arrives at their summer getaway, Sadie is surprised to learn that the owner of the house is Jax Stone, one of the hottest teen rockers in the world. If Sadie were normal—if she hadn’t spent her life raising her mother and taking care of the house—maybe she’d be excited about working for a rock star. But she’s not.
Even though Sadie isn’t impressed by Jax’s fame, he is drawn to her. Everything about Sadie fascinates Jax, but he fights his attraction: Relationships never work in his world, and as badly as he wants Sadie, he believes she deserves more. Yet as the summer stretches on, Jax’s passion leaves him breathless—and Sadie feels like the only source of oxygen.
Can their love overcome the disparity in their lifestyles? One breath at a time, they’re going to find out…

Mini-Review:

For some reason this book didn't draw my attention at all until it showed up on my doorstep. Unfortunately, I almost wish it stayed that way because I really did not enjoy this book. It definitely had promise- a summer romance on a sunny island between a normal girl and a popular teen musician? Sadie lives with her single mother and works as a maid in nearby mansion- mansion home to Jax Stone a hot teen rocker who is a famous heartbreaker. Sadie doesn't care about Jax's fame, though, and that makes her all the more appealing to him. The plot was interesting and I didn't put this book down because it was such an easy read. The characters and writing were what frustrated me. They didn't talk like teenagers at all and the relationship between Sadie and Jax often seemed forced. I wanted to believe in their relationship, but I never felt a good connection with the characters. Apparently this is the first in a series about other characters introduced in Breathe and I may be interested in checking those out to give Abbie Glines' a second chance. While I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book, I can see why so many people love it- there's a hot romance, a beautiful setting, and teen drama, something a lot of readers enjoy. Unfortunately that wasn't enough for me to truly enjoy this book.

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The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
Release date: January 10, 2012
Publisher: Dutton Books
Pages: 318
Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Source: Purchased
Links: Author's Website/Goodreads

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Mini-Review:

So this review has been burning a hole in my schedule for months now- how do I put into words my love for one of my now all-time favorite novels? The Fault In Our Stars was a beautifully written and heartbreaking new novel by John Green. I am ashamed to admit that I have not ready many John Green books, but The Fault In Our Stars 100% cemented him on my top authors list. Hazel was a kick-ass main character who didn't let her cancer bring her down and Gus... what a guy. Watching the relationship between these two sarcastic, adventurous, and beautiful people develop was such an experience and I was completely drawn into their stories from page 1. This book has spread like wildfire around the world and if you haven't read it yet- DO IT NOW! Even though the movie is out, and it is actually just as tragic and wonderful, read the book first! Writing this mini-review is already making me yearn for a re-read because this book was just so impactful and amazing. 

Review: Killer Instinct by S.E. Green

Killer Instinct by S.E. Green

Release date: May 6, 2014

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Pages: 272

Reading level: Young Adult

Genre: Mystery

Source: Publisher (ARC)

Links: Author's Website/Goodreads 

Overall: 2.5 out of 5 stars

She’s not evil, but she has certain... urges.
Lane is a typical teenager. Loving family. Good grades. Afterschool job at the local animal hospital. Martial arts enthusiast. But her secret obsession is studying serial killers. She understands them, knows what makes them tick.
Why?
Because she might be one herself.
Lane channels her dark impulses by hunting criminals—delivering justice when the law fails. The vigilantism stops shy of murder. But with each visceral rush the line of self-control blurs.
And then a young preschool teacher goes missing. Only to return... in parts.
When Lane excitedly gets involved in the hunt for “the Decapitator,” the vicious serial murderer that has come to her hometown, she gets dangerously caught up in a web of lies about her birth dad and her own dark past. And once the Decapitator contacts Lane directly, Lane knows she is no longer invisible or safe. Now she needs to use her unique talents to find the true killer’s identity before she—or someone she loves—becomes the next victim...

Review:

I went into Killer Instinct without knowing anything about it, except for the brief summary I read on the back. It sounded like something I would be into- a dark contemporary read that reminded me of Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves. Unfortunately, while the idea had promise, I ended up being disappointed by this debut.

Lane is a quiet teenager who spends much of her time alone. During this time alone, she acts on her fascination with serial killers. Lane collects information on these criminals and thinks about ways she would get back at all the evil people in the world. There was no level with which I could connect with this character-- her obsession was creepy and I couldn't understand why she got off on the thought of hurting others; even if they might have deserved it. Also, Lane's treatment of her younger sister was very disturbing. Lane referred to her sister as a slut several times and was very judgmental of her.

Some aspects of Killer Instict often seemed a little unnecessary. For example, Lane's best friend, Reggie, was simply there to be the "hacker". Reggie was able to find information on various criminals and other individuals that Lane asked her to research and that was her entire role in the story. Since Reggie was away at college we literally never even met her in person. Also, Lane's job at the animal hospital and "relationship" with one of the vets there never seemed to play any important role.

I did like the role of family in Killer Instinct and how we really got to know her parents and siblings. Lane's younger brother was one of the only characters I really liked. The suspense and mystery was also a redeemable aspect of this debut. The ending was very surprising and not at all what I was expecting. The author did a good job of limiting the clues and keeping me guessing right until the very end.

All in all, I was disappointed in this debut because I didn't like the main character and some aspects of the plot were not believable, but I did like that I was completely surprised by the ending.

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Review: Crash (Crash, #1) by Nicole Williams

Crash by Nicole Williams 

Release date: December 18, 2012

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 384

Reading Level:Young Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: Book 1 (Clash, Crush)

Source: Purchased (e-book)

Links: Author's Website/Goodreads 

Overall: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Jude Ryder and Lucy Larson are this generation's Romeo and Juliet: Explosive. Sizzling. Tragic.
A steamy summer encounter with bad boy Jude means trouble for Lucy. Her sights are set on becoming a ballerina, and she won't let anything get in her way . . . except Jude.
He's got a rap sheet, dangerous mood swings, and a name that's been sighed, shouted, and cursed by who knows how many girls.
Jude's a cancer, the kind of guy who's fated to ruin the lives of girls like Lucy—and he tells her so.
But as rumors run rampant and reputations are destroyed, Lucy's not listening to Jude's warning. Is tragedy waiting in the wings? This racy romance is hot, hot, hot!

Review: 

I have heard a lot of positive things about Crash, so was excited to dive into it when I downloaded it onto my Nook. Unfortunately, Crash was not really the book for me. I seem to be in the minority though, so be sure to check out other reviews as well. 

To begin with, Lucy was not the most likable character. Her love of dance is just about the only realistic thing about her and that is barely mentioned at all. At times I felt like it was only being brought up to remind readers that oh yes, Lucy wants to go to Julliard because she is an amazing dancer. When she enters her new school, she is immediately the most popular girl there. Everyone thinks she is gorgeous and likable and all of the guys want her right away. I found this a bit annoying because Lucy really did not seem that great to me. I have heard some people saying how funny and sarcastic she is, but most of it seemed over done. 

The main plot of the book is Lucy's relationship with the town "bad boy"- Jude. I have to admit I can sometimes see the appeal of "bad boys" in the sense that they're outsiders or a bit rebellious, but in Jude's case he was way more than that. He had been in jail more than ten times, he had been with more girls than he could remember, and he had a killer temper. I can understand wanting to date someone that would stand up for you, but I don't know how Lucy could deal with the fact that he wanted to punch any guy that even talked to Lucy and was so controlling and possessive of her. There were certain aspects of Jude's character that I liked and I know he did really care for Lucy, plus I could see the chemistry between them at certain times, but, as a whole, Jude's character frustrated me. 

There were a lot of twists and turns in the plot that kept me reading and while a lot of things were predictable, there were several surprises. The main characters were very complex and layered, but the secondary characters were incredibly flat. 

This was the first in a series, but I do not think I will be reading the rest of the series. I was frustrated by the characters and the writing was a little weak. I'm not entirely sure what this is being classified as? I originally thought it was New Adult, but the characters are all still in high school. I guess the only thing that could make it "New Adult" was the sex and violence, but I wish that wasn't all it took to classify something as NA, so I'm sticking with calling this one young adult. But that's a discussion for another day!

All in all, while Crash was not the book for me, I may check out other books by Nicole to see what else she has to offer. Also, if you've read this and enjoyed it, feel free to link to your review in the comments so others can see a different point of view.