REVIEW: The Night We Said Yes (The Night We Said Yes #1) by Lauren Gibaldi

The Night We Said Yes (The Night We Said Yes #1) by Lauren Gibaldi

Publication Date: June 16, 2015

Publisher: Harper Teen
Source: Book Purchased by Reviewer

Buy it at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble


My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Before Matt, Ella had a plan. Get over a no-good ex-boyfriend. Graduate from high school without any more distractions. Move away from Orlando, Florida, where she’s lived her entire life.

But Matt—the cute, shy, bespectacled bass player who just moved to town—was never part of that plan.

And neither was attending a party that was crashed by the cops just minutes after they arrived. Or spending an entire night saying “yes” to every crazy, fun thing they could think of.

Then Matt abruptly left town, and he broke not only Ella’s heart but those of their best friends, too. So when he shows up a year later with a plan of his own—to relive the night that brought them together—Ella isn’t sure whether Matt’s worth a second chance. Or if re-creating the past can help them create a different future.

The Night We Said Yes is perfect for anyone looking for a cute and fun read. Filled with romance and heartbreak and lots of questions to keep you intrigued and happy while reading. We go back and forth between the past and present with our main character, Ella, and her ex boyfriend/current love interest Matt. All we know is that Matt up and left Ella a year ago without any explanation or reasoning as to why. Then on this very special night he shows up again and Ella's world is thrown for a whirlwind. We're the lucky few that get to go on that whirlwind journey with her to learn why he left and why he's back and why he's looking at her like he still cares about her. SO MANY QUESTIONS....

I always think there's something special about a book that takes place in one day. So many options and possibilities about what can happen and where the story will go in the short time we're in this world with the characters.  I like stories with positive outcomes and growth and lots of love so this book was right on target for me. The idea of having just one night to say yes to everything with no fear or hesitation. Well, maybe a little hesitation but at some point you just end up having so much fun you dont even second guess anything anymore. It feels carefree and beautiful, just the kind of night I'd LOVE to have with my own friends and boyfriend!

Ella, our MC, was relatable in the sense that we can all feel her pain and sadness (and anger) when it comes to the breakup and Matt just disappearing then reappearing in her life. She wants answers and she';; do anything to get them...no matter how upsetting they may be! So even though she did seem a tad immature to me I still liked her because I related to her in many ways.

Then we have Matt, bad boy that up and left out MC for no apparent reason!! Well he eventually tells Ella why he left, and even though I don't think it's the most valid excuse I also realize that it is to him so who am I to argue with that!?

Overall, I loved the story and the magic of a night filled with yes' and endless possibilities! So if you love fun, cute reads with a little romance and a lot of whimsy then pick this book up and give it a shot! This one was an especially fun read for me!

Quotes (#40)

Morning Swooners!

Happy Valentines Day!!! Today feels like a good day for some quotes! My current read this month is The Adjustment by Suzanne Young so I'm feeling motivated to reread The Program. I'm also obsessed with reading all the things love related lately because as I already mentioned I found myself a love and today is the day of love. So in honor of those two very strong feelings I decided to dedicate todays quotes to The Program by Suzanne Young. I hope they give you just as many feelings as they're giving me!

“If it's meant to be, you'll find each other again.”  ― Suzanne Young, The Program


“You know I'm never going to be able to not kiss you again, right?" he said. "For the rest of my life, every time I look at you, I'll have to kiss you.”  ― Suzanne Young, The Program


“You're right, you know," he says. "You're just right for me. And I'd bet my life that we've done this before. Because I can't imagine that I wouldn't have fallen in love with you the first time.”  ― Suzanne Young, The Program


“He's tender and defenseless, as if every part of him is exposed. He's not the asshole I thought he was, not even close. What I see is someone broken and fierce. Someone loyal and hardened. Someone who could belong to me completely, and me to him.”  ― Suzanne Young, The Program

“I love you madly.”  ― Suzanne Young, The Program


“He said that some things are better left in the past. And true things are destined to repeat themselves.”  ― Suzanne Young, The Program


So that's it for me today. I hope everyone has a happy hump day!

REVIEW: Splintered (Splintered #1) by A. G. Howard

Splintered (Splintered #1) by A.G. Howard

Publication Date: January 1, 2013

Publisher: Amulet Books 
Source: Book Purchased by Reviewer  

Buy it at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble


My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence.

Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

LOVED. LOVED. LOVED! I truly loved reading this book! (in case you couldn't tell lol)

I had seen this book around the blogosphere for a while and never really had any interest in it until one of my friends read it and raved about it. So I was still skeptical at first, but of course I trust my friends reading choices and decided to give it a try. Boy was I amazed at how hard and fast I fell for this story!! From the synopsis you can see that it's kind of an Alice in Wonderland re-telling, which I totally loved reading. Retellings are kind of my new obsession which works out perfectly because they are popping up everywhere.

The author, A.G. Howard, did such an amazing job writing this story and it was so fun to read. The world building was off the chain! She took our boring and colorless world and turned it into a never ending rabbit hole that lead to a beautiful and fun filled Wonderland!

Alyssa, our MC, is such a fun character to read. She's always known that her family is cursed ever since her (infinite greats) grandmother, Alice Liddell, fell into the rabbit hole and got the family line cursed. The fear that Alyssa has when she starts hearing the bugs and flowers speak to her is so genuinely real that you really feel for her. I mean, I personally think it would be awesome to hear bugs and flowers speak, but after her mother is committed into the asylum for losing her mind for the same things that Alyssa is going through, She becomes extremely worried and fears that she will end up there too.

Then there's Jeb, I mean OHMAHGOD!!!! I think he is so swoony!! Also a bit dramatic, but definitely swoony! Jeb goes above and beyond to protect Alyssa and it's just so romantic to watch it all unfold! I want to say that the love they share is wonderful to see but it's definitely more than that. The bond they share as friends is so special, it honestly makes me jealous. I wish I could find someone that will love me unconditionally the way Jeb loves Alyssa (and the way she loves him.)

Now to Morpheous, I don't even know where to begin with him. I want to say that he's a mix between swoony half the time but also scary the other half of the time! He says some pretty romantic things to Alyssa, which of course gets her to do what he wants, but he also does some pretty scary things that had me questioning his motives. He's definitely a manipulative character but you can tell that he also genuinely cares about her. I definitely had a hard time deciding if I liked him or not but I can tell you for sure that I never trusted him. There were moments when I had to wonder if I actually could trust him but then I realized that if I had to question whether I could trust him then that meant I couldn't.

Overall, I really loved this book and I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of this series! If you haven't read it, I highly recommend that you do!

REVIEW: Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

Publication Date: June 16, 2015

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: Gifted to Reviewer 

Buy it at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):


If you could read my mind, you wouldn't be smiling.

Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off.

Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist.

Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.

This book is called Every Last Word and you know what? For me that's what it was. I literally cannot even find the words to describe how I feel after reading it. I was completely enamored with this book from the moment I opened it and as soon as I turned the last page and closed the cover for the final time. I knew that I was in utter shock of how impressed I was with how the story turned out. To sum it up, i'll give you three words (in honor of Sam)-- glue sticks galore!

This story touches a little bit on depression and anxiety while also focusing on mental disorders and bullying. These are all some really important and heavy topics. I think this normally would have been fairly difficult to accomplish successfully, but the author does such a wonderful job at combining all these topics into one story while also giving it a realistic feel and a romantic feel at the same time. Kudos, Ms. Stone, for a job well done!

Sam, the MC who has OCD, was such a great character to meet and grow with. I loved seeing her growth from the beginning of the story to the very end. I think her story was believable and relatable to many young readers, even ones who don't have OCD, because many people go through the same situations as she did. From the crazy, backstabbing friends to the unplanned love interest with the most unlikely person...these things really happen and many people can relate to how everything was dealt with throughout the book.

Something else that I really loved about this book was the poetry. I've been a huge fan of poetry my entire life and from the moment I read that first poem to the moment I read the very last poem, my heart was so very full. It's such a great talent to be able to express yourself through poetry and I loved how the author was able to express so many emotions and sentiments through the eyes of so many different characters. It's a skill not many people (including authors) possess. 

Also important to note that I feel like I need to search the world to find my own version of Caroline because I truly believe that she is the best friend I never had (even though I already have the BEST best friends lol.) She's such a strong and loyal friend to Sam and it breaks my heart when we finally see how her story plays out. I wish that I could bottle up her essence and use it whenever I need to feel brave or smart or caring because those are just some of her qualities that I could always use more of. She's an inspiration to us all. 

Overall, I really loved this book and I wish I could expand my knowledge of the english language just so I could properly describe to you all what this book truly means to me. It's definitely a must read. If this book isn't already on your TBR--add it pronto!

REVIEW: P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

Publication Date: July 26, 2016

Publisher: Point Publishing 
Source: Book Purchased by Reviewer 

Buy it at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble


My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Signed, sealed, delivered . . .
While zoning out in Chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk, and added a message to her.

Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters— sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only who is he? As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery, and juggle school, friends, crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can’t always be spelled out . . .

I cannot stress enough how much I absolutely loooovvveeeedddd this book!! I went in with high expectations because I heard so many great things about this author and this book and let me just tell you, I was not let down! I literally could not put this book down and I was so sad when it ended because it was over (even though it was the happiest of endings and so perfectly written I couldn't have pictured it any better.) Plus, don't even get me started on the poems/lyrics. Everything was so brilliant and perfect, my heart was on overdrive in the feels department.

Lily writes. She writes a lot. While in her chemistry class, her teacher takes away her notebook and demands to see her notes at the end of each class in an attempt to get her to focus only on her class notes. Well this doesn't have the effect he was hoping for because she soon begins writing messages and letters back and forth with another student who sits in her seat during a different class period. She finds herself falling in love with the person writing the letters and begins her journey to find out who that person is. 

Unlike many other books, I loved how we didn't have to wait until the end of the book for the big reveal of who Lily's pen pal was. We found out about half way through the book and had to go through the same worries and fears that Lily had to go through to figure out how she should handle it. All while still having a chance to fall more and more in love with the pen pal along the way. I think Kasie West did such an incredible job with slowly revealing to us the writer all the while dropping little easter eggs about who it was. This kept me feeling 100% connected and invested in the story.

Overall, I think Kasie West did an amazing job with this story and I can't wait to binge all of her other books because I am officially in love with her writing. If this book isn't on your TBR--It needs to be!

REVIEW: Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Publication Date: May 5, 2015

Publisher: Viking Books
Source: Miami Dade Public Library

Buy it at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Sydney's handsome, charismatic older brother, Peyton, has always dominated the family, demanding and receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention. And when Peyton's involvement in a drunk driving episode sends him to jail, Sydney feels increasingly rootless and invisible, worried that her parents are unconcerned about the real victim: the boy Peyton hit and seriously injured. Meanwhile, Sydney becomes friends with the Chathams, a warm, close-knit, eccentric family, and their friendship helps her understand that she is not responsible for Peyton's mistakes. Once again, the hugely popular Sarah Dessen tells an engrossing story of a girl discovering friendship, love, and herself.

Holy cow, guys! I hate that Sarah Dessen always makes me love all of her books. Especially this one. I seriously couldn't put it down. We start with a little bit of back story about Sydney and her brother Peyton's criminal background. As can be expected, her brother's history has detrimental effects on more than just him. It has left lasting effects on his entire family, including Sydney. She finds herself feeling ostracized and wanting to get away. This is where the story starts to take off. Once she meets the Chathoms, they slowly begin to change her views on herself, the situation with her brother, and her life in general. 

Sydney has a really hard time adjusting to the devastating actions of her older brother, Peyton. She feels left out and ignored by her parents and blames her brother and his actions for that feeling. She also has a hard time dealing with the fact that her parents have seemingly forgotten and ignored the little boy that was severely injured and paralyzed due to Peyton's actions. This gives Sydney a feeling of guilt because she feels that someone should care about the boy that had his life changed forever. 

I was a bit iffy with my feelings about Sydney's parents, particularly her mother. I had a hard time relating to her because I had the same feeling that Sydney had: they shouldn't forget about the little boy who was injured. I felt like she was being so selfish by ignoring the event and ignoring Peyton's role in everything. On the other hand, I also understood that was just her way of coping with the whole situation which makes me feel for her a bit. I didn't really care for her father at all. He seemed kind of insignificant and wimpy throughout the book.

The real MVP of this story is the Chatham family! From the moment we meet Layla we know that she is someone important in Sydney's life. She's such a free spirit and never judges Sydney for any of the things that Sydney judges herself on and it's so beautiful to see their friendship bloom. Then there's Layla's older brother Mac...can you say swooooooonnnnn!!! Anyway, Mac is the perfect older brother to Layla and and even more perfect boyfriend to Sydney! He's so kind and caring to everyone he meets it's refreshing to see. Mrs. Chatham plays a pretty large role in Sydney's life too but on a much smaller scope. Although her scenes are small in comparison to Layla and Mac's, her role is pivotal in allowing Sydney to release all the guilt she feels because of her brother, and helps her to reconcile her relationship with her brother in a way her parents could never do. Can I just say I freakin' love that family!!

So overall, I have to say that of all the Sarah Dessen books i've read, this one was by far my absolute favorite and I think everyone should get there hands on a copy and read it! I'm 1000% sure you'll love it as much as I did!