Tabitha's Book Blog

I really do adore the New Adult genre. Despite all of the bad publicity around it - there really are a few fantastic books that don’t follow the typical guideline of the genre, and Faking It is one of them. I remember completely devouring the first book in the series, Losing It - and for whatever reason, i just never got around to reviewing it - but trust me it was good. And I think Faking It may have been better.

My only problem with this book was the lack of drama. What can I say? I’m a sucker for the drama filled books that New Adult usually provides me with. There was so much build up - okay, there wasn’t too much of a build up, but I was still expecting more of a fall out. Something. Anything really! There was this one scene with Max’s parents towards the end, but it was over before I could really feel any sort of emotional distress. However. What this book lacked in drama, it definitely made up for in humor and 

I love when a companion novel is able to easily differentiate from the original book, and Faking It did an incredible job of doing so. Not only was it set in a different city, the whole dynamics of the characters and their lives was different. And while Losing It, was mainly focused on drama surrounding Bliss losing her virginity - this one was much more character based. The topic of sex was no where near as large of an overall theme as compared to the last book.

Cade and Max are two of my favorites as of now! I cannot even express it enough. Cade was basically the epitome of a good guy while Max was the exact opposite, and they couldn't have worked any better together. I love when two broken characters help each other through whatever tough times they may be going through, while still maintaining their same personalities - and that’s exactly what happened in this book. And then the romance in this book? AH. So different from the one in Losing It and so good!

Faking It was a fantastic follow up to Losing It, and I cannot wait to read what Cora Carmack has in store for us next time around with Kelsey’s story! If you're looking for a new adult book that doesn’t just focus on the characters mutual physical attraction for each other than this is the book for you. As long as you don’t get your hopes up for some dramatic fallout between characters - than I think you’ll thoroughly enjoy this one!

this is pretty fantastic. not gonna lie.

Whenever I start to read a book written in verse, I have my doubts. What if the characters aren’t developed enough, what if the story sucks, what if it ends too soon for my liking, and my personal favorite what if it’s just a boring book. But then. When I’ve finished the book and properly thought about it, I wonder why I ever thought I wouldn’t like it.

Chasing Brooklyn is the story about Brooklyn, whose boyfriend, Lucca died the previous year. It’s safe to say that she’s nowhere near being over it, and to make matters worse - her and Lucca’s mutual friend - Gabe - has just died of a drug overdose. Things then being to get really crazy when Brooklyn starts to have terrifying nightmares featuring none other than Gabe. 

Although, Chasing Brooklyn, is the story of Brooklyn - it’s also the story of Nico. Lucca’s older brother. After Gabes death, Nico starts to have dreams featuring his deceased brother - all saying the same thing. Help Brooklyn.

This book was a really fast read, but in a good way. I was zooming through it because I had to know what was going to happen next. Where would Brooklyn and Nico’s relationship go - would they be more than friends. When would the haunting end. I just had to know everything! And then the writing. Oh my goodness. I’m not usually one for minimalist writing, but with this one I loved it. I loved how simple everything was, yet how powerful it was at the same time.

Chasing Brooklyn takes place in the same world as Lisa Schroeder's other book - I Heart You, You Haunt Me! It’s not something that’s blatantly pointed out, just something you’ll notice as you read the book.Well, if you’ve read her previous novel, that is. However, if you haven’t - it definitely won’t take from your reading experience.

If anyone is looking for a novel to introduce them to the style of verse writing, then this is the book for them. I won’t lie and say it’s the best I’ve read, but it’s definitely a very good one. 

Spirit is the third book in The Elemental series by Brigid Kemmerer and unlike the past few books - this one is not told from the perspective of a Merrick Brother. It’s told from Hunter’s perspective, and if you’re familiar with the series - you’ll know that he has a sort of love/hate relationship with the family. I was actually really worried how this one would play out. I wasn't a huge fan of Hunters in the beginning, but he grew on me by the end of the book.

Hunter was such a complex character, and I loved getting to learn about him and everything he’s gone through. Although. There was one point where he was short on money, and complained about buying a water for $1.25, and all I wanted to do was shake him and say waters free at any fast food place you go to! You can even just go in and ask for a cup of ice water and it’s free!! I’ve gotten off topic, so I’ll get back to the complexities of Hunter’s character. He was raised with the mindset of not ever trusting anyone, so I liked seeing him struggle with the realization that maybe it is alright to trust someone other than yourself. 

I also really enjoyed the character of Kate - who was the female protagonist in this story. I just... DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY. Her ending sucked, but I kind of think it was for the best. Okay - not the best, but the best for the story. Who knows? Maybe Brigid Kemmerer has some sort of surprise in store for us, but I kind of doubt it.

Now onto my favorite part of the series.... THE MERRICK BROTHERS. Although this is Hunter’s story - the Merrick brothers still play a fairly big part in the story, especially Michael. He kind of took Hunter under his wing and wouldn’t let him just fade into the background. I won’t go into too far of detail, but this aspect was my favorite. It showed how good of a person he is, despite what his cold exterior may lead you to believe.

Brigid Kemmerer has slowly become one of my favorite authors over the past year. Each book from her has just gotten better, and I’m pretty excited to see what she has in store for her next book. (which if I’m not mistaken is Nick’s story.) She has this uncanny ability to make her paranormal stories read like a contemporary, and for all of you contemporary lovers out there? This is the book for you.

Very few things in life make me feel as if my time spent in APUSH (AP US History) was worth while. It was one of the hardest classes I’ve taken, and I’d be lying if I said I don’t complain about it still. A YEAR LATER. Yes, I have a problem and I’m working on it - but that’s beside the point. Very few things make me feel as if that time was well spent, and Past Perfect was one of them. Reading a book focused all around the reenactment of two of the most important wars (arguably) in American History made me feel very smart, and it what made this experience even better was the fact that this book was so good.

One of my favorite aspects of Past Perfect (and there were a lot) was how the plot focused on something unconventional and not typical at all! The turf war between two historical reenactment sites, and how the teenagers at each place have taken it upon themselves to make it known whose village is better. It was such an entertaining read, and the thing is. I can actually imagine this happening - because let’s face it. People are immature, and things like turf wars between historical reenactment groups result from that lack of maturity. But it was so funny, that I didn’t care about the ridiculousness of the situation.

Our main character, Chelsea, is someone I think we can all relate to. This whole book focused around her learning to move on and not focus on the past - which can be difficult when you’re whole life has been spent reenacting historical moments, but she did a really good job at growing as a person. 

Family and friends are two of the biggest parts of anyones life, and I think that they’re often the most underrepresented in young adult books. And that’s what I loved how they were perfectly incorporated into the story. There was Chelsea’s quirky and slightly adorable family, and then her best friend who she spent the summer rating ice cream flavors with. It was just all so relatable and I LOVED IT!

Then there was the romance! It wasn’t the main plot focus. It was actually on the back burner in retrospect to everything else that happened. However, it was just too cute not to mention. Dan is one of my new favorite book guys, and I’m really bummed out that I’m not getting to read more about him. His and Chelsea’s banter was really funny - and my sentences right now suck, but it was all just SO good. I’m working on a swoon alert post as we speak. So be prepared.

Past Perfect is the perfect (haha) book to read when you’re in the mood for something fun and lighthearted. It’s impossible not to laugh at the ridiculous antics that come from this cast of characters, impossible not to swoon when it comes to Dan and Chelseas’ relationship, and impossible to just not enjoy this book. OKAY. Impossible may be a bit of an overstatement, but I think you’re all getting where I’m going with this. Past Perfect was a GREAT READ. 

After reading The DUFF by Kody Keplinger - I was so excited to dive back into the world that she created. It’s not very often that an author gets high school life accurate and Kody Keplinger is one of the exceptions, so with that being said - I was slightly disappointed when I didn’t find myself connecting to the characters as much as I had in The DUFF. 

Whitley’s parents divorced years before the start of the book, and during that time she’s been living with her mother who’s too focused on the past to pay any attention to her daughter, and her only escape is her yearly visit with her father at their lake house. She’s hoping that this last summer before college will be a sort of last hurrah for them - a summer full of drinking and hanging out at the pool. However, that’s not the case this time around. When she arrives at her fathers home for the summer, she discovers that not only has he moved, he’s become engaged to a woman with two kids. One of which - Nathan - is the boy she slept with at the end of the school year party.

Whitley was a character that I had a really hard time connecting with - which was really strange, because I had expected to instantly connect with her. I think that what made Whitley a difficult character to connect with was her tendency to act out and try to ultimately ruin her reputation in order to get her families attention, and when things didn’t work out in her favor - she acted out even more, rather than get her act together. 

However, despite the fact that i didn’t necessarily connect with Whitley - that doesn’t mean that I didn’t absolutely adore the secondary characters. Nathan - the soon to be stepbrother/love interest, Harrison - the guy who imposes to the point that Whitley he and Whitley became best friends, Bailey - the younger soon to be sibling, and Sylvia - the soon to be stepmother. They all brought their own personalities to the story, and helped to take away from the heaviness of what Whitley is going through. 

The writing was terrific, the plot was great, and while I didn't absolutely love the main character - I adored the secondary ones. I felt like there was a lot left unresolved in terms of family problems, but I felt like the story was resolved enough for me. I’m really hoping that her books don’t all follow this same sort of setup, but if they do - it’s not too much of a problem, because the characters bring a unique twist to it all.

Some books should just be left as standalones. I'm not sure if I'm the only one who's noticed, but nearly every New Adult book has a sequel or is told in a different characters perspective. It's not necessarily a bad thing, it just doesn't need to happen for every book. And I think that Micha and Ella's story would have been better off left as a one book story. I understand the need to finish a characters story - I just would have rather left this as a standalone for my own sake.

It’s not that this book wasn't good, it really was. It was well written and engaging, I just can't figure out if I liked it or not. I can deal with sad books - I even encourage books that can make me cry, but I can not stand a book that leaves me feeling emotionally distressed THE ENTIRE TIME. There were happy moments, but I felt like I was walking on egg shells the entire time, and I guess - if we're getting technical that's pretty impressive for the author to do.

Ella and Micha definitely had some life problems/things/changes to figure out. The last book hadn't dealt with them nearly enough, and I enjoyed getting to see some sort of a resolution come to their problems. It wasn't an easy journey for them, but I don't know. I kind of liked that it wasn't easy for them. Although I felt that their journey of character growth was necessary, it doesn't mean that it didn't frustrate me. I won't go into specifics, but if you read New Adult books, I think you imagine one of the many ways that they can frustrate you.

ALSO. If you finished, The Secret of Ella and Micha wanting more - then this is definitely a book you should read, but if you were happy with the way things ended - I'd say just leave it as it was. It doesn't mean that this book wasn't good - just something I wished I'd waited on reading. Actually - despite what I just said, I'm going to read the next book in this series because I kind of can't wait to read a secondary characters story. It sounds like it'll be a good one

A quote from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.