Author Archives: Brittany

Apr

If You Liked… Stranger Things

One of my favorite parts about being a book blogger is sharing the books that I love with others. I absolutely love sharing my favorite reads and recommending them to others who are looking to fall in love with a new book!

12 BOOKS FOR STRANGER THINGS FANS

I’ve recently become a huge fan of Stranger Things, having binge watched back in October and watching two more times since then. The show has probably become one of my biggest fandoms as of late and even though it’s not a book-inspired show, it’s taken the bookish community by storm!

I also re-read THE DARKEST MINDS so I could finally finish the trilogy and also because the movie is coming out and as I was reading, I was thinking about how it’s such a good recommendation for Stranger Things fans… and then I finally watched the movie trailer and saw that the Stranger Things producers are involved in THE DARKEST MINDS movie!

If you’re a fan of Stranger Things, check out some of these book recommendations below!

IF YOU LIKED STRANGER THINGS…

Try… THE DARKEST MINDS by Alexandra Bracken.
Review // Goodreads // Amazon
I just started reading this series again and it’s just so perfect for fans of Stranger Things! A group of kids with abilities band together, form great bonds, and oh yeah, have all kinds of telekinetic powers. It’s great if you’re an Eleven fan and want to see a whole gang of people like her, basically! Plus, there’s a movie coming out in August thats based off the book so now’s the time to read it! There are a lot of different abilities in this book and there’s a whole lot more powers/abilities to enjoy which makes it interesting when every kid (who is left) has the ability to do something out of the ordinary! Imagine a book full of Elevens…

Try… VICIOUS by V.E. Schwab.
Review // Goodreads // Amazon
What if you weren’t just born with powers but actually went to the extent of forcing them upon yourself? That’s kind of what VICIOUS by V.E. Schwab entails. Main character Victor Vale is kind of an anti-hero so he’s not the most lovable person but I did come to really appreciate him and his companions throughout the novel and just really enjoyed if from start to finish. This is an adult novel but is great for crossover aspects! I really love the feel here and it’s an interesting take on being born with a power vs coming into one (or, you know, literally taking it for yourself) and how you use it.

Try… THIS SAVAGE SONG by Victoria Schwab.
Review // Goodreads // Amazon
Schwab look familiar to you? That’s right — the same V.E. Schwab who wrote VICIOUS above also writes young adult novels under her full name, Victoria. THIS SAVAGE SONG kicks off a two-book series that explores what happens when monsters live among us. It’s not identical to demogorgons and kids with abilities but I think it has the same great horror/paranormal feel with some great family moments, a sweet love story that happens among some crazy things, and other really interesting characteristics along the way! hi

Try… HOLD ME CLOSER, NECROMANCER by Lish McBride.
Review // Goodreads // Amazon
One thing I love about Stranger Things is that no matter how insane things get, there’s always comedic relief. HOLD ME CLOSER, NECROMANCER has plenty of that, as you can probably tell by its hilarious title. NECROMANCER dips even further into the paranormal creature concept with a whole cast of paranormals and weres, including a guy who thought he was normal until everything got turned upside down. It’s a really fun novel, easy to read, and packed with sarcasm, humor, and puns.

Try… THE DEMON’S LEXICON by Sara Rees Brennan.
Review // Goodreads // Amazon
Got demogorgons and demons on your mind? Check out THE DEMON’S LEXICON! The story follows two brothers who are demon hunters and have a mysterious, crazy mom (who’s a bit more off her rocker and a whole lot scarier than Joyce Byers) and there are even some good twists along the way! This book was an interesting take on the demon concept and incorporated some folk lore to make up the basis of its plot and how demons surround the characters.

Try… A GOOD IDEA by Cristina Moracho.
Review // Goodreads // Amazon
Just craving that 80s/period vibe? A GOOD IDEA by Cristina Moracho is a really interesting thriller that takes place in the 90s! This one is more straight mystery/thriller than it is paranormal but it has a very spooky and dark vibe, has mysterious woods, and no one uses cell phones. I really love when a book or series is set in the 80s or 90s, making it relatable and yet without some of the modern conveniences that make solving mysteries too easy! Things get a little bit crazy towards the end but the whole book is a wild ride getting to find all of those answers you’ve been craving since the beginning!

Try… A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC by V.E. Schwab.
Review // Goodreads // Amazon
Whoops, I swear I didn’t realize I was recommending three Schwab books when I made this list but apparently if you enjoy Stranger Things, go check out her books! A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC is definitely more fantasy and not that urban fantasy/paranormal feel of the show but I wanted to pick it for it’s alternate world concept! In this book, there are four different Londons (Gray, Red, White, and Black) that the travelers get to through special abilities able to control doors, or portals. Black London is totally destroyed and the concept of it really reminds me of The Upsidedown in a way! Plus there’s a creepy villain that I won’t talk about because spoilers, but I think there are plenty of aspects for ST fans to enjoy!

Try… THE RAVEN BOYS by Maggie Stiefvater.
Review // Goodreads // Amazon
THE RAVEN BOYS has a lot of magical realism but I could also categorize that as paranormal! It also has the most amazing friendship and group of tight-knit friends which tugs at my heartstrings as much as Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, and Lucas do. There are a lot of crazy things that happen throughout this book and although Eleven isn’t psychic, it has that same sort of feel with main character Blue’s psychic mother and family and the world that they’re able to tap into because of their true psychic powers and the energy that they surround themselves with. I love this book for its plot but I REALLY love it for its characters and relationships, even for the family aspect too, which is something I love so much about Stranger Things. I also love how much I got invested in the romantic side of things by actually FEELING them without it reading like a romance novel. Sometimes less is more, which is how I feel about how much emotion is packed into Mike and Eleven’s little romance.

Try… NIL by Lynne Matson.
Review // Goodreads // Amazon
This is another book I chose for a sort of “Upsidedown” concept. The island of Nil isn’t quite so obvious as a sinister alternate world but it does come with gates that take kids to the island and your time there comes with an expiration date. It’s not an exact parallel to Stranger Things but I like how the concept reminds me of the show a little bit (or rather, vice versa since the book came out first). It actually really reminds me of Lost, but the concept of the island has some interesting origins that I think ST fans could enjoy! The island also only takes teens so you’ve got a great group of kids who are working together to figure out this crazy island, sold problems, and of course, stay alive.

Try… THE LOVE THAT SPLIT THE WORLD by Emily Henry.
Review // Goodreads // Amazon
It’s hard to talk about this one without spoilers since I don’t know how much would give the ending away and what readers might pick up on it before then. It’s more of a contemporary story with bits and pieces of … something off. The main character ends up seeing flashes of things that aren’t there (sound familiar, Will?) and may be coming from a different time or place or just from her head alone. The boy she meets along the way changes her world, but she needs to find a way to hold onto him. There’s so much about this book that I loved and I can’t say more except that if you’re into the love story side of the show, this is one filled with more romance for you!

Try… THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin.
Review // Goodreads // Amazon
THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER is just that perfect twisty book where you have no idea what’s going on but can’t wait to find out, which is exactly how I felt when I was watching the show! Something strange is happening to Mara Dyer and she can’t quite figure out what it is. I loved being taken along this trippy ride and was constantly guessing what might happen next! I also think it has that great same dark, mysterious feel that the show does. This kicks off a three book series that has you guessing the whole time! Like Stranger Things, I ended up bingeing it because I couldn’t stop to see what happened! It definitely gets a hold of you and keeps you on your toes.

Try… LAST CALL AT THE NIGHTSHADE LOUNGE by Paul Krueger.
Review // Goodreads // Amazon
And lastly, we have LAST CALL AT THE NIGHTSHADE LOUNGE. This one is an adult/new adult read, more focused on the demon hunting… with cocktails! I don’t think it has a direct parallel to the show aside from demons and mysterious creatures but it was such a fun and quirky read (its publisher is literally Quirk Books) and it’s a great book to have fun with the darker side! It’s a shorter book, quick, easy, and just plain fun, complete with cocktail recipes and illustrations. I had a lot of fun reading this one and although it’s not a direct relation to Stranger Things, I still think fans could love it!

I always have a blast picking out recommendations and I hope Stranger Things fans agree with these! There are some recommendations that are a little outside of the box but I like the elements that connect to some fundamental Stranger Things themes!

Looking for more recommendations? Check out my previous list of recs below!

If You Liked… Harry Potter! It’s about time to throw out some book recommendations for the adults who grew up with Harry Potter and not just today’s kids!
If You Liked… Divergent: The “If You Liked” series is back! See which books I recommend for fans of Veronica Roth’s hit series DIVERGENT!
If You Liked… The Lunar Chronicles: The Lunar Chronicles is one of my all-time favorite series! Now that it’s ended, here are my recommendations for what to read next!
The Book Addict’s “GUIDE” to Male POVs: A list of recommendations for mostly young adult books and some adult, all from a male point of view or alternating male/female POV!
The Book Addict’s GUIDE to paranormal, sci-fi, and fantasy: The second in my series of guides! I hard a hard time separating these three so they all got smushed together.
The Book Addict’s “GUIDE” to Duologies: Two-book series are gaining popularity… which are your favorites?

Apr

As Seen on Bookstagram | Shefie Sunday

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After five years of blogging, sometimes it’s hard to come up with new ideas. So much has changed over the years, including my blogging style, many times over, and I’ve gotten so much more into taking photos and posting on Instagram as a part of my love of books and bookish merch!

In an attempt to keep things interesting and fun, I wanted to started a little something new for me where I take a post that I had originally shared on Instagram — or “bookstagram” for those in the book community — and took it a little further in a blog post. There’s a limited number of characters that you can share on Insta and the point of those posts is more to get to the point, rather than writing a whole narrative, but sometimes each post deserves a few extra words, and “As Seen on Instagram” is a fun way for me to do that!

A post shared by Brittany S. (@bookaddictsguide) on Apr 1, 2018 at 2:28pm PDT

Do you ever participate in #shelfiesunday?

There are many different photo prompts for the days of the week — #mapmonday, #socksunday, #stacksaturday, but one of my favorites is #shelfiesunday! I love my built-in bookcases and I’ve truly filled them to the max! (No, really. I have four other bookcases in the house and I STILL can’t fit all of my books on the shelves.)

This magical main feature is filled with all of my favorites, including favorite series, collections, and all the main books that are still on my TBR. I have some overflow shelves for ARCs, other books like my cozy mysteries, and even just other random things on my TBR but this is my pride and joy!

It’s also where a lot of my merch sits and let’s be honest, it’s mostly candles. The above photo was for a Shelfie Sunday a couple weeks ago and I tagged all of the shops I could see in the snapshot! You get a little peek at my Lunar Chronicles shelves, some contemporary favorites, and a little bit of sci-fi.

Are you on bookstagram? Do you have amazing shelves that you show off for #shelfiesunday (or any old day of the week)?

If you want to read the original post, check it out above or head to my Instagram page where you can follow for all kinds of bookish photo updates!

Apr

A Book and a Candle | Ready Player One + The Oasis (Wickworms)

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I was chatting with my dear friend Andi from Andi’s ABCs the other day, mulling over what kind of new blog post I could possibly come up with for my blog. After blogging for five years and feeling like I’m repeating so many things and having candles take over my life with Novelly Yours (in a good way), I just don’t have as much time or energy to create some of those fun graphics and infographics that I used to love to spend hours and even days creating! Book and a Beverage really kind of died out with so many people having already done it and me having a hard time keeping track of blog posts sometimes so she suggested I switch things up to fit my life with more of what I’m doing now… and do a little switch from books & beverages to books & candles! I already post quite a bit of books & candles on my Instagram account and it seemed like the perfect way to really tie everything back together!

Here on A Book and a Candle, I share two of my favorite things! I started my own candle shop about two years ago and ever since then, my candle addiction has only grown exponentially! I share a lot of my photos on Instagram but not many really make it to my blog so this seemed like a great opportunity to talk some more about books and candles and how one enhances the other!

With the Ready Player One movie coming out, I was naturally in the mood to share a RPO photo with my Wickworms candle, The Oasis!

A post shared by Brittany S. (@bookaddictsguide) on Mar 31, 2018 at 8:12am PDT

THE BOOK: READY PLAYER ONE | Goodreads
THE CANDLE: The Oasis from Wickworms
Candle scents: the scents aren’t listed on the candle but it’s light and fresh and clean! Being the candlemaker that I am, I think one is green clover & aloe!

I still haven’t seen the movie for Ready Player One and I’ve heard some mixed reviews but I’m still excited to see it! I think if I’m prepared for a lot of things to be different, it’ll be easier to split myself from expecting it to be exactly like the book. I’ve been watching the TV adaption of The Magicians and I actually kind of enjoy how it’s inspired by the series but it’s not ALWAYS the plot of the series (often it’s actually its own thing), so I’m kind of prepared for the Ready Player One movie to be along those lines.

I do still want to read it again before I see the movie though. I really like reading the books before I see the movie/TV show so I at least know what was changed and what wasn’t. It’s so easy to see a film or TV show multiple times and start to forget what the book was actually like and that’s the most important part!

I first read READY PLAYER ONE siiiiix years ago!! It was one of the first audiobooks I ever listened to and I fell in love! Wil Wheaton is such an amazing and dynamic narrator that it just pumped my up throughout the whole book! I loved all of the 80s references, even if I didn’t know ALL of them, and I think I’ll enjoy it even more on the second read!

When I saw that Wickworms had a candle inspired by READY PLAYER ONE, I knew I had to have it! This was actually an exclusive candle in a Wickworms special set but I was swapping candles with Sav, candlemaker to candlemaker, and I was able to sweet talk her into including this one in our trade!! It was my first-ever RPO candle and it smells so lovely! The scents were included in the box so I don’t know exactly what they are, but I think from my experience that it has some clover and aloe. It’s beautiful, light, and this combo kind of gives a minty/menthol feel that makes it super fresh!

FIND WICKWORMS CO:
Website | Instagram | Facebook

** All candles featured in A Book and a Candle have been obtained by my own choosing, whether by direct purchase or in a candle swap and there have been no exchanges or free product sent to me to feature. Candle shops featured are of my choosing and each candle summary/review are my own words and opinions. I have not been influenced in any way to write these posts other than my own pure enjoyment of each candle! I’m just sharing what I love! **

Apr

Starry Eyes – Jenn Bennett

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Title: Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett
Publishing Info: April 3, 2018 by Simon & Schuster
Source: Received from the publisher for review purposes, Audiobook borrowed from library
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Date Completed: April 6, 2018
Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // Goodreads

Ever since last year’s homecoming dance, best friends-turned-best enemies Zorie and Lennon have made an art of avoiding each other. It doesn’t hurt that their families are the modern day, Californian version of the Montagues and Capulets.

But when a group camping trip goes south, Zorie and Lennon find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Alone. Together.

What could go wrong?

With no one but each other for company, Zorie and Lennon have no choice but to hash out their issues via witty jabs and insults as they try to make their way to safety. But fighting each other while also fighting off the forces of nature makes getting out of the woods in one piece less and less likely.

And as the two travel deeper into Northern California’s rugged backcountry, secrets and hidden feelings surface. But can Zorie and Lennon’s rekindled connection survive out in the real world? Or was it just a result of the fresh forest air and the magic of the twinkling stars?

Jenn Bennett is a new auto-buy author for me! I thoroughly enjoyed ALEX, APPROXIMATELY and STARRY EYES was just as good if not better. I loved all of the real teen issues tackled in this book from friendships to romance to sex to family, and everything in between. It was a great representation of realistic life and I love any contemporary romance novel that doesn’t go over-the-top with issues and keeps the drama within the normal realm of relatable experiences. (Not to say that over-the-top things don’t happen in real life, because obviously it happens, but I like to keep things more every day and not too dramatic. It gets to be a bit much if you only ever read about the extremes.)

I also really enjoyed the topics that the book did cover. Main character Zorie has anxiety issues and planning is the way that she copes with them, to the extent of planning nearly everything. She lives with her dad and stepmom and I kind of loved that she was actually really close with her stepmom and really considered her to be her mother and called her “mom”. I love seeing step-parent relationships that aren’t negative or angsty, and Zorie actually was closer to her mom than her dad. She wasn’t close with her father, and without spoiling specific things, she ended up having some issues with her dad throughout the book and I really enjoyed how Jenn Bennett tackled all of these issues and situations!

I LOVED the wilderness and camping aspect since that’s something that’s near and dear to my heart. I always went camping with my family as a kid but we always stayed at campgrounds. My husband (before we were married) loved the legitimate wilderness camping and introduced me to that when we started dating so it was really fun to see that atmosphere and see that knowledge put to use on the pages. It’s also great to put things like that into perspective because there’s a lot that you don’t think about as a teen, or even as an adult, being out in nature like that and it makes you really responsible really quickly. I liked seeing that in a teen setting to show some maturity and responsibility, as well as the sense of freedom it provides (and even a few moments where you’re not quite honest with your parents).

STARRY EYES was a wonderful book and I inhaled it in two days! I really enjoyed reading it and Jenn Bennett’s characters are just wonderful. I loved even the secondary characters and how much they supported the stories of the main characters and how they came to life as well. It was so well-done and I enjoyed it from start to finish.

Kept Me Hooked On: Positive step-family environments. I’m so over the evil stepmother concept! I loved how much Zorie really treated Joy like her mom and Joy always said that Zorie was her daughter. It’s a lovely feeling and I had so much appreciate for that support.
Left Me Wanting More: Zing factor. That’s not a thing, but bear with me here. So I loved ALEX, APPROXIMATELY and I loved STARRY EYES, both so very much. But I didn’t loooove them. They were fatalistic and solid and beautiful four star books but there was just that oomph that didn’t launch them to five stars for me. I’m not sure what’s “missing” (nothing is MISSING but you know?) but regardless, I’m loving Jenn Bennett’s books!

Addiction Rating
Read it!

If you’re looking for a new auto-buy/auto-read author, this is my new one! I’m enjoyed Jenn Bennett’s books so much and her last two have launched her onto my radar! I need to go back and read THE ANATOMICAL SHAPE OF A HEART now!

BOOKS LIKE STARRY EYES

Apr

As Seen on Bookstagram | There’s Someone Inside Your House Movie News!

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A post shared by Brittany S. (@bookaddictsguide) on Mar 21, 2018 at 8:45pm PDT

In case you missed the news, Stephanie Perkins recently shared that her latest novel, THERE’S SOMEONE INSIDE YOUR HOUSE, has been picked up by Netflix for production!

The article with the announcement first appeared on Deadline, name-dropping Stranger Things producers & more! It sounds like this is slated to be turned into a movie, which I seriously love! The whole time I was reading the book, I kept picturing it as a 90s slasher movie, so that’s totally on par with the feelings I got from the book.

I’m not sure how far they’ve gotten with negotiations yet but you bet I’ll be follow Stephanie Perkins’ accounts to keep up with the news! I love that it was Netflix who grabbed this one because we’ve seen some amazing things adapted for TV and movies and I’ve been loving the Netflix original series. I feel like sometimes when Hollywood gets involved, as cool as it is to see things in theaters, we tend to lose some of the original story (I mean, you do with any adaption but I’m excited to see what these producers do with it) and I definitely don’t think it has a TV show vibe. Needless to say, I’m pretty excited!

Have you read THERE’S SOMEONE INSIDE YOUR HOUSE? How do you feel about the movie news?

If you want to read the original post, check it out above or head to my Instagram page where you can follow for all kinds of bookish photo updates!

Apr

I Have Lost My Way – Gayle Forman

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Title: I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman
Publishing Info: March 27, 2018 by Penguin
Source: Received from the publisher for review purposes, Edelweiss
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Date Completed: March 30, 2018
Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // Goodreads

Related Posts: If I Stay (If I Stay #1), Where She Went (If I Stay #2), Just One Day (Just One Day #1), Sisters in Sanity, If I Stay (If I Stay #1), Where She Went (If I Stay #2), Just One Day (Just One Day #1), Just One Night (Just One Day #2.5), I Was Here, Leave Me

Around the time that Freya loses her voice while recording her debut album, Harun is making plans to run away from everyone he has ever loved, and Nathaniel is arriving in New York City with a backpack, a desperate plan, and nothing left to lose. When a fateful accident draws these three strangers together, their secrets start to unravel as they begin to understand that the way out of their own loss might just lie in helping the others out of theirs.

An emotionally cathartic story of losing love, finding love, and discovering the person you are meant to be, I Have Lost My Way is bestselling author Gayle Forman at her finest.

I am a big, big Gayle Forman fan but for some reason, I just really didn’t connect to this one like I had hoped and expected. I wonder if maybe the fact that I read it as an audiobook affected anything? The narrators were fine, some of which I’ve heard before and enjoyed, but I just didn’t make that emotional connection that I get with all of her other books.

The book did follow three different narrators, which is different from Gayle Forman’s other books, and the narrations also switched tenses, from third person while telling the story to first person while recounting each character’s past. I listen to enough audiobooks that I don’t feel like listening to it on audio should really make a difference when it comes to the structure of the story (unless it’s something that is very visual like The Illuminae Files) but maybe the physical copy had a different break that would have helped those switches/transitions a little bit more than the audiobook. I don’t really think it would have made a difference, but maybe. I’m trying to reason things out because I don’t want to say that this book wasn’t my favorite, but I guess it’s bound to happen with any favorite author (and really, it has, so that’s okay too).

The stories really were beautiful. Each character has lost their way due to their own unique circumstances and when they quite randomly come together, they each help each other through the toughest points in their lives. I really loved seeing how these friendships blossomed and how total strangers were able to become such key points in each other’s lives. Gayle Forman did a great job at bringing in key phrases from one person’s past and sticking it into another person’s present — a clever tie between the two that makes them seem almost destined to meet and unite.

I did appreciate so much of this book and yet, I just didn’t feel that pull on my heart like I have with previous novels. I definitely felt for each character and was rooting for each one, but I feel like I just didn’t connect with the writing and the structure like I had hoped. The book was definitely good but it’s that personal connection and emotional grab that didn’t get me. I’m also sure that my expectations were ya know… WAY HIGH so that never helps why I hype books up for myself!

Kept Me Hooked On: Beautiful connections. I loved how these three characters came together to essentially save each other’s lives. The connections were wonderful.
Left Me Wanting More: Personal investment. I think I just didn’t personally connect to the characters for whatever reason, as much as I wanted to.

Addiction Rating
Read it

I will always recommend Gayle Forman’s books, even if they aren’t my favorite! I can objectively see how wonderful these stories were, even if I didn’t feel emotional about them. I’m just used to sobbing away haha!

BOOKS LIKE I HAVE LOST MY WAY

Apr

The Boyfriend Bracket – Kate Evangelista

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Title: The Boyfriend Bracket by Kate Evangelista
Publishing Info: June 19, 2018 by Macmillan, Swoon Reads
Source: Received from the publisher for review purposes
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
Date Completed: March 31, 2018
Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // Goodreads

Stella has had a hopeless crush on Will, her older brother's best friend FOREVER, but now that Cam and Will have graduated and are going off to college, this year is her chance to really strike out on her own. Without her overprotective brother and his sidekick around to distract her, she can focus on having all the typical high school experiences that she's always dreamed of—starting with finding a boyfriend! With the help of her best friend Franklin, she comes up with the perfect plan to have a boyfriend by Christmas: The Boyfriend Bracket.

Or it seems like the perfect plan...right up until Will starts showing up again. How is she supposed to find the perfect boyfriend when none of her dates measure up to the one boy she can never have?

To be 100% honest, I made it about 30% – 35% of the way through and then skimmed the rest of the book because once it hit a certain point, there was no point in reading the rest.

Heads up, because we’re gonna have some spoilers here.
So the book is called The Boyfriend Bracket and… we do away with the bracket after 30% when Stella gets together with her longtime crush (and surprise surprise, he’s had a crush on her forever), Will, who is her brother Cam’s best friend. So there really was no point to the bracket other than to get a gimmick to get Will to confess his feelings on the page because “he couldn’t stand to see her with another guy”. Thankfully for him, uber protective big brother Cam has shooed away every boyfriend up until that point (ew). And thankfully for him, he gets together with Stella post-makeover (in fairness, he liked her before but UGH. Now she’s sexy! And irresistible)!

I looove friends to more stories but this was not exciting and all tension was lost when the two get together basically right away. The rest of the book was hiding their relationship from Cam, which was annoying. Throw in some typical teen things like dances and college and that’s the rest of the book. It was just so cliche that I had a hard time wanting to read it, so yes, I did skim the rest. I picked up on the major points and I’m glad I didn’t actually spend the time to read each and every word.

Things COULD have been cute if we went through the bracket and found that all of the guys weren’t the right fit and voila! There’s Will! The old brother thing was creepy, kind of? And just flat out annoying because it was way too much forced interference. Not to say this doesn’t actually happen to teens because oh lord, I did some immature stuff back in my teen years, but I enjoy the books that make it more into a story than just recounting teen moments that we’ve all lived through because who wants to live/re-live those cringe-worthy decisions?

Anyway. I’m just really disappointed with this one because it really had potential but it was way too immature for me and the writing was a little cringe-worthy. There wasn’t much that I enjoyed here, other than broad concepts. This was pretty much the definition of “fluff” with not much substance there.

Kept Me Hooked On: Friends-to-more. I actually did like some of the cute-factor between Stella and Will, so that was something.
Left Me Wanting More: So much more maturity. This book was just so immature on so many levels. It was really bothersome.

Addiction Rating
Skip it.

I don’t usually say to skip things — often times I’ll suggest getting a second opinion — but this book just made me so mad and irritated. I was really disappointed.

BOOKS LIKE THE BOYFRIEND BRACKET

Mar

Morning Star (Red Rising #3) – Pierce Brown

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Title: Morning Star (Red Rising #3) by Pierce Brown
Publishing Info: February 6, 2016 by Random House Publishing Group
Source: Audible
Genres: Young Adult, Adult, Science Fiction
Date Completed: January 26, 2018
Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // Goodreads

Related Posts: Red Rising (Red Rising #1), Golden Son (Red Rising #2)

Darrow would have lived in peace, but his enemies brought him war. The Gold overlords demanded his obedience, hanged his wife, and enslaved his people. But Darrow is determined to fight back. Risking everything to transform himself and breach Gold society, Darrow has battled to survive the cutthroat rivalries that breed Society’s mightiest warriors, climbed the ranks, and waited patiently to unleash the revolution that will tear the hierarchy apart from within.

Finally, the time has come.

But devotion to honor and hunger for vengeance run deep on both sides. Darrow and his comrades-in-arms face powerful enemies without scruple or mercy. Among them are some Darrow once considered friends. To win, Darrow will need to inspire those shackled in darkness to break their chains, unmake the world their cruel masters have built, and claim a destiny too long denied—and too glorious to surrender.

OH MY.
WHAT.
WHO.
THIS BOOK.

So I started reading RED RISING and it was enjoyable but I think I lacked direction on where the series was going. GOLDEN SON was similar to RED RISING in the beginning for me, feel-wise, and then I really connected to the characters in the second half. And I actually started MORNING STAR off with that bit of feeling like I was looking for where the series would end up and OH. MY. GOD, PIERCE BROWN.

Okay, so let’s back up even more. I finished the book on a on a Friday and I saw Pierce Brown on the Tuesday before. The event blatantly spoiled a big THING *cough*it was all Pierce*cough* and I really did expect spoilers but I was still upset. I thought that would be one of the biggest things in this book and HA it was not even close. The end of MORNING STAR was just phenoooomenal. You think you know a twist? There’s another. And another. And another. Ugh, I was so surprised and angry and happy and relieved and pleased and just the entire range of emotions.

I wasn’t understanding the love for this series because I wasn’t quite connected to it early on but DUDE. Pierce Brown totally nailed it in this book and things came together FROM THE BEGINNING (which I love. A+ world-building there) and it was so, so rewarding.

It’s hard to talk about MORNING STAR without spoiling anything so I’ll leave this as more of a feelings review, but if you were ever on the fence about this series, hopefully this book makes it all worth it because it totally blew my mind!

Kept Me Hooked On: Insane twists. Pierce Brown packed some punches in here that I just did not see coming! It was so exciting and I never knew what was going to happen next.
Left Me Wanting More: Of everything. This book truly had it all, and I absolutely loved it. I didn’t want it to end!