Summer Hiatus Review - Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott

Danielle and her mother steal antique silver from rich families across the USA for their living. It's all Dani has ever known and it is what she has based her life around. And for the most part, she hasn't had a problem with it. But when she and her mom move to a small ocean-side town called Heaven, Dani is given a taste of what her life might be if she were actually able to stay in one spot for a while. She could have friends, a school life, people who care about her, and most importantly, she would feel secure. But when she realizes that her new friend lives in the home that she and her mom are targeting for their next burglary and that that cute guy that she's been flirting with is a cop, she wants that perfect carefree life more than ever. Will Dani be able to convince her mom to give up the life she's always known for a chance at normalcy or will stealing what everyone else has to provide for herself be the way Dani will be forced to live for the rest of her life?

I loved this book! I had heard tons of good things about it, and it definitely did not disappoint. I think that Elizabeth Scott's novels just keep getting better and better. I've read all of them so far I think and I've liked all of them a ton so I'm really glad that Stealing Heaven was able to keep up that good-ness streak for me. I really liked how all of the characters were really in depth and relatable. The story put a girl whom we could all think of ourselves as being into a situation that none of us could imagine being in. I think the author portrayed the most normal and sincere teen girl in a beautiful way. You could see all the things that she was feeling and going through as she was put into many different situations. I also adored the character of Greg. Seriously though, what's with all of the perfect and utterly unreal guy characters?! It just makes me ache whenever I read about these flawless guys, the likes of which I believe do not exist in the real world. Even though Greg's character was realisticly unattainable, you can't help but love guys like him anyways. I think the thing I liked the best about the book though was the whole flow of the writing. Nothing was rushed and the story moved at a perfect pace. I loved being able to read about the events through Dani's eyes and I think that if the book hadn't been narrated by her it wouldn't have been as good just because she had such a fluid and relatable voice. I think the only teeny thing that bothered me was that in the end, the issue that Dani and Allison had with each other wasn't wrapped up like I would have liked it to have been. Other than that, Stealing Heaven was perfect; from the beginning sentences to the adorable ending. It's a perfect summer read.

Summer Hiatus Review - Rumors by Anna Godbersen

It's been some time since Elizabeth Holland's mysterious death entranced the New York socialites. And now, It's her younger sister Diana that they have their eyes on. Since Henry Schoonmaker, the young bachelor Elizabeth was engaged to before her death, is now available, he's also one of the people in the spotlight. The other is the wily Penelope Hayes whose main goal is to bring down the Holland family and claim Henry for her own. Besides, they've known each other all their lives, so it's only right. But what people don't know about is Diana's secret affair with Henry and the fact that the Holland's large fortune is dwindling after Diana's father died a short time before Elizabeth. But is it really proper for a young man to be in the minds of so many women so soon after his fiance's death even if the engagement wasn't one based on love? And with rumors of Elizabeth still being alive floating around, things get complicated. Will we ever learn what really happened to Elizabeth? And who will claim Henry in the end?

Yum, yum, yum. This book was just as delightful as the first one in the series which I am really happy about. Sometimes, you get an amazing first book and then a really bad sequel, but in the Luxe series, that is not the case. Thankfully. I completely loved hearing more about all of the scandal surrounding the families that I had come to know and love in the previous book. I think one of the things that is the best about this series is that Anna Godbersen has the perfect writing style to go along with the storyline. She knows how to write so that even the language aspect of the book draws you into a world that's far from your own. Also, the plot was really amazing. There were a ton of twists and surprises that left my mouth open, and my mind scrambling. But in a good way of course. These were nice and luscious twists that were completely plausible but at the same time unexpected. The ending especially nearly wrenched me apart. I almost cried! Yikes! It's a little wierd to confess to crying over a book that's purely fluff made for enjoyment. But it's the kind of book that gets you to relate to the characters and actually care about what happens to them. That's definitely one of the parts that keeps me coming back for more. I feel like I'm actually in the turn of the century New York, which is saying something because not only do I have no idea what New York's like, I do not in any way know what anything around that time period would be like. But the book is such that you can't help but be drawn in. And although this series is completely fluffy, I still love it to pieces and I can't wait for the next book, Envy. If you haven't read the first book, The Luxe, you had better go and pick it up soon!


Oh, and happy Fourth of July!!! Go out and watch some American fireworks for me! :P

Summer Hiatus Review - The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Jenna Fox can’t remember anything about herself. She doesn’t know her name, recognize her parents, or have any memories of the past that would help her to fit into a new and strange life among people who she doesn’t know and who don’t understand her. She’s told that she was in a terrible accident but she knows that there are some things that her over protective parents are not telling her. When bits and pieces of her former life begin to come together Jenna discovers a shocking truth about herself, her memories, her friends, and ultimately, her new life. In a world where technology is taking over and anything can happen, that “anything” happens to Jenna. And while some people may be supportive of these new advances, others are deeply opposed. Will Jenna be able to sort out what she believes and discover who she was and who she is to become?

I adored (haha) this book so much. I think the main thing that made the whole story work was that it covered an extremely interesting topic and dealt with the difficult subject of mortality in a manner that didn’t force an opinion and yet still kept the book intriguing and semi-light. When you write about a heavy subject, it has a tendency to bring the book down and sometimes that’s a good thing, but in The Adoration of Jenna Fox, the story was written in such a way that it forced you to think and still kept the story moving. And it wasn’t just the topic of the book that made it so good, it was also the whole style of it; writing and otherwise. I liked how there were little poems and dictionary excerpts dispersed throughout the book. It helped to keep everything interesting and fresh which is always good. The writing style of the book was perfect too. It was flowing, smooth, and fit the whole book perfectly. It’s not often that you find a writing style that compliments and enhances a book rather than just tell the story. I also loved, loved, loved the cover. You’re never going to see a book cover much more beautiful than this one. Don’t you think? And that’s really a huge factor in a book because that’s the first thing you see. I think the whole “don’t judge a book by its cover” thing is actually rather misguided because the cover is a big part of how people are going to perceive a book. If it has a cheesy or bad cover, that’s what people are going to expect of the story and that’s probably actually a good assumption because if the publishing people haven’t spent a bunch of time on the visual aspect of the book, why would they pay attention to the writing? I’m rambling though. For me, the whole entire book was marvelous and couldn’t be improved any more. It was addicting, interesting, valuable, and pretty much just fabulous. I’m sad that I waited this long to read it! I highly recommend that you go out and pick up a copy soon; I’m sure it’ll be worth it.

Summer Hiatus Review - Read My Lips by Teri Brown

When she transfers to her new school, Serena just wants to fit in, have friends, and not attract tons of attention. That dream is shattered when the popular crowd discover that she has an amazing skill for reading lips. Think of what you could do with that ability! You would get the inside scoop on pretty much every one's lives and that fact is realized by the most snotty girls in school, who just happen to have a secret of their own. Then a cute boy gets added in to the mix. He's mysterious, adorable, down to earth, and most importantly is enamored with Serena. She wants to keep her spying a secret from everyone, but when things start to escalate quickly, she's pulled in over her head. Will Serena be able to escape the clutches of some seriously witchy girls, make friends of her own, and get herself the guy, or will she be stuck doing other people's dirty work for the rest of her high school career?

This book was decent. I hadn't read very many reviews prior to reading it so I wasn't sure what to expect. And I was pleasantly surprised. The faults in the book, I think were that the character development wasn't great, the plot was predictable, and the whole concept of the sorority seemed rather random and thrown together for me. But don't worry, there were other parts of the book that were good too. I like that the author tackled the new subject of being deaf. I've never ever read a book about anything along that line and it was very cool to read something from the point of view of someone who had to deal with the challenges of being deaf every day. It really put that in perspective for me. I also liked the character of Miller a lot. While he was moody and hormonal, which got a little annoying, he was mysterious and captivating. I can totally imagine falling for a guy like him. *sighs* Don't you just hate it when you read about some perfect guy in a book and then realize that they aren't real and you're going to have to find some less than perfect guy to fill the gaping whole that this character left in your chest (slight exaggeration there)? I mean, Edward, Cabel, Owen, Jace, Dimitri, Jacob (can't believe I just wrote that), and now Miller. Ugh! Why can't authors write about detestable icky guys for once so that us fan girls can leave our hearts open for realistic and might I say, slightly disappointing guys. :D /rant. Ha. Anywho, when all is said and done, Read My Lips was a pretty decent book. Nothing spectacular or mind blowing but it was a nice and fluffy summer read nonetheless, and one that I'd recommend if you want to read something quick and light.

And I'm Out

Yes, you heard me. I'm leaving. But only temporarily and unwillingly. Don't worry. Well it's not exactly unwillingly that I'm going on a month long trip to a foreign country, because that's going to be totally awesome (And I'm not telling you where I'm going because I want to see if you guys are going to be able to guess from the pictures I'm posting when I get back. Ha. Better study up on your world landmarks.). It's unwillingly that I'm giving up my internet and therefore my blog while I'm away for that month. I'm going to be traveling tons while I'm gone and it just wouldn't really be worth it to have random and sporadic posts that would maybe or maybe not contain reviews because I might not actually have time to type up something of any quality. So with that thought, I have provided you readers with the delight of reading a new review around every four days while I'm not actually posting. Is that cool or what? I just figured out how to use that scheduled posting thing and I'm loving it. So while I might not actually be visiting my blog much or any during the next month, you guys still get to "hear from me". Technically speaking.

And don't worry, I'm taking a bunch of books with me to read. I'm hoping to get a ton of reading in, although I have a feeling that I'm bringing a book or two too much because I'm thinking that there is no way I'm going to get sixteen books finished in a month. I'm just not that efficient. But you can still look forward to a huge wave of reviews from the list of the following books when I get back:

Why I Let My Hair Grow Out by Maryrose Wood

How I Found The Perfect Dress by Maryrose Wood

The Second Virginity of Susy Green by Sara Hantz

The Queen Geek Social Club by Laura Preble

Queen Geeks in Love by Laura Preble

Smart Boys and Fast Girls by Stephie Davis
The Secret Life Of A Teenage Siren by Wendy Toliver

Perfect Cover by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Killer Spirit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Book of Luke by Jenny O'Connell

Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess

Leftovers by Laura Wiess

So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld

I Was A Teenage Popsicle by Bev Katz Rosenbaum

Model by Cheryl Diamond

La Petite Four by Regina Scott

Wow that's a long list. And I had to bring all paperbacks also because of the weight limits that they have on bags nowadays. I'm trying to pack light. It's an unsuccessful attempt sadly. But be sure to look out for a whole slew of reviews around late July. I hope that I'm able to read a majority of those books to make it up to you guys for leaving. I'm so sad! And I'm also hoping to have a big contest when I get back also, so you should definitely look out for that.

Enjoy my scheduled reviews (commenting on them might score you a few extra entries in the mysterious contest later on), and wish me luck as I brave jet lag, foreign food, and a bunch of people who won't understand English! :P See you guys soon!