Title: A Monster Calls
Author: Patrick Ness (Original Idea By: Siobhan Dowd)
Illustrator: Jim KayPublisher: Candlewick Press
Pages: 215 (Hardcover)
Published: April 2, 2012
Days to Read: 1 Night
Rating: 4.5/5 !!!

Description: Goodreads

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At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting — he’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. 

The monster in his backyard is different. It’s ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. 

From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd — whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself — Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.

My Review:

When a Monster Calls is a very unique book that I found in my school’s library a couple of days ago. I’d already heard of the book through goodreads and had read a few reviews on how unique and intriguing the book was. So when I saw this book sitting all by itself on the shelf, I couldn’t help but pick it up and check it out. For a while it sat in my locker, I’d already had to finish a few other books I was working on, and finally on Monday I put it in my bag and took it home, ready to ready it. I started at 9:30 and when I turned the last page it was 12:30.

It captivated me, had me interested all the way through and though I kept telling myself that I should probably go to bed, I couldn’t help but keep going. Conor has had a reoccurring nightmare for some time now, and within this nightmare lays a truth of some sort. The ‘monster’ that comes to Conor’s window, seven minutes after twelve may not be the monster from his dream, but he’s there for a reason, and Conor is the only one who can give it to him.

What I liked about this book:

I really liked how Conor was written. He was only thirteen in the book but already he’s faced some very serious things. He really is a strong character and that makes me happy to see.

The illustrations in this book were breathtaking. Some of the time, pictures in a book can make the book have a more childish feature to it, but this one was different. It added to the story and really helped the reader visualize what Conor was going through.

In the story, the Monster that visits Conor tells him three tales, after the third Conor has to give the monster the ‘truth’. I really enjoyed those segments. The stories were very well thought out and they had…a twist to each of them. Each time I was thinking the way Conor was about the lesson of the story and then the monster would make me look at it a completely different way.

What I didn’t enjoy:

Though it was very well written, I did start to get a tad confused in places. I maybe would have liked certain things to be a tad clearer.

It’s marked as horror, and has the pictures for it, but I was hoping for a little more fear. I wanted to be afraid of the monster but instead I was laughing with it and smiling.

Overall, I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 star rating. It’s a very quick read, but a very enjoyable one. I recommend  for sure!

Review: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour

Title: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour
Author: Morgan Matson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Pages: 344 (Hardcover)
Published: May 4th 2010
Days to Read: 3
Rating: 5 !!!

Description: Goodreads

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Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew—just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn’t seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she’s coming to terms with her father’s death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road—diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards—this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.

My Review:

I knew, from the minute I found and read about this book, that it was going to be something that I enjoyed. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour is the first road trip novel that I've read, and I have to tell you that I was not at all disappointed.

The whole aspect of traveling cross country, and going on a long 'detour' like Roger and Amy, is such a fun idea. It's definitely on my bucket list, and by reading this book, it's almost like you get a little taste of what it would be like. Amy and Roger's trip started out originally as a planned one that her mother had set up for them. With destined travel spots and hotels with rooms that were already there for them to arrive to. However, it is the two's ideas that instead they do something more adventurous, and thus, the epic detour is born!

I think that one of my favorite things about this book is that Matson didn't make it just a book filled with 'text'. What I mean by that is that throughout the entire novel there are pictures of postcards, notes that Amy has written, doodles by the oh so talented Roger, and even a couple pictures of where they visited. It just adds to the whole trip and traveling aspect of it, and it makes it that much more fun. It also helps that Morgan Matson, the author, has traveled cross country before, making her descriptions of the highways, towns, and states so realistic and beautiful. Matson is an amazing author in the first place, but I really liked that throughout the entire novel, she actually knew what she was talking about.

To be quite honest, I wasn't a hundred percent on board with the characters until I was a little ways into the book. I didn't understand the full extent to why Amy was always so upset, and driven to sadness, but after reading them for a while, and reading their experiences, I did find myself liking them a lot more. I loved Roger as the story went on. He is such a great and sweet guy, and his own story in the novel was great to read about.

In the end, I was happy to have this be the last book I read in 2011. It's a nice and adventurous read from start to end. Ever page filled with a story and well filled text. Morgan Matson sure brought one heck of a trip when she wrote this book. Two thumbs up from me!

Review: The Scorpio Races

Title: The Scorpio Races
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 409 (Hardcover)
Date of Publishment: October 18th, 2012
Days to Read: ...too many :c
Rating: 4

Description: Goodreads

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It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die. 

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die. 

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them. 

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going 

My Review:

I am literally so infuriated with myself for not giving this book five stars, and for not liking it to the full extent that is should have been. The book was literally magical, so amazing. This was the first book I've read by Stiefvater and I fell in love; with her writing, her style, how she portrayed her characters...I honestly loved her! Which is why I'm so baffled as to why I can't give this five stars! 

The writing in this book was so magical...so magical. When I started the book, it was a lot different then a lot of the books that I'd read. Stiefvater's writing was definitely different, and at first I had a hard time getting used to how different it was, but as the story grew and progressed I really found myself loving her style of writing and how she was playing out her characters. One thing I noticed is that her writing changes in ways when she deals with the two main characters. The chapters alternate between both main characters, Sean and Puck (Kate), and what I seemed to notice was how Tiefvater's writing would sculpt around her character's personality. Kate was a very free-will, strong, and fierce character; and Stiefvater's writing really reflected off of that. Sean was just like that as well but there something more to him, his love for the island, his hoarse, and riding and I feel like the more lyrical style that Stiefvater showed off on his parts really showed that off. Overall I thought the writing was superb and just...breath taking.

As you could probably tell above, I really loved the characters. In the beginning I really really hated Puck's brother Gale. Right away I just thought he was this ass, and I hated reading about him and seeing the struggles that were happening because of him and then some how Stiefvater managed to make me love him. It might have taken a while, but I really fell in love with each one of her characters. Puck and Sean were easy to love; right off the bat their fierceness and loyalty to what they love touches your heart. Puck's other brother, Finn was such a quirky person, definitely liked him right off the bat! The characters were just great...end of story.

And yet after all those great things I still give it only four stars. It seems though...after looking at it and thinking it over, it was just because this really wasn't' my type of book. I was never like other little girls who loved everything horse so I didn't warm up to that aspect of the story until close to the end; plus because I also don't know anything about horses, I barely knew what I reading about. I guess I should have realized early on in the book that the Scorpio Races weren't going to be very long in the book. When I'd first scene this I thought maybe the races took a few days...nope...a good twenty minutes, give or take. So the races didn't take place until almost the end of the book; we're talking the last thirty pages or so, and that's why it it took me so long to get into the book. I was waiting over and over for Stiefvater to run out of thing to fill those 409 pages with, and that sort of ruined it for me. But through all that expecting, it never happened. She kept her story at a steady and very well chosen pace; and I have to say that I did enjoy that. 

The Scorpio Races were riveting, powerful, and at times...romantic. I loved the story, loved the characters, and loved the style, but I missed the epicness that really could have taken place in this book. Stiefvater knew her facts and knew how to make a novel; enough said.

Review - Catching Fire

Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 391 (Hardcover)
Days to Read: 4
Rating: 4.5

Description: Goodreads

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Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster boys for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol...

My Review:

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When I picked up Catching Fire, I had absolutely no doubt in my mind that I was going to love it. Even with the rumors that I'd heard about the ending not being the best, or how it just didn't own up completely to the first book, I knew I'd still manage to like it. Maybe not all of it, but surely a good amount of it. 

I have a terribly tendency to not keep up on recent releases when it comes to books, and tend to find out about stuff far after their release. That's exactly what happened to me and how I managed to find out about The Hunger Games. While I was reading The first book, I'd ended up going on GoodReads on looking at the second and third one, adding them to my lists and piles...well...how many people can keep their eyes away from a description they haven't read? Not me; I ended up finding out about the second games while I hadn't even managed to make it very far through the first book, and also finding out about Peeta's survival so already a few things had managed to be ruined for me. As with that I also found out about there being uprisings because of reading the third book's description... c: woops. 

I never let this get in my way though and I dived right into the book. In the first book, a large section of it was dedicated to the games. With everything being new, it took longer to explain and talk about the pre-game events. Diner's, training, interviews, everything. The second book however has a much different pace. The first part of the book was very different, especially since it took so much place back in District 12, book one not really concentrating too much on in deep detail. Even though it made the book slightly slow paced I still enjoyed it. It was an interested change of pace and I happily took it on. 

The Games as well were much different, after all it was the 75th! I won't say too much because of spoilers, but I have to admit that I'll miss reading about the games, being that the third book doesn't contain them. I love reading about all the things that the Gamemakers have the contestants do (is that cruel?) and just the brilliant writing and ideas that come of off the pages in those times of the book. Collins is such a talented woman, and her writing ability blows me away every single time I pick up the books. 

While the setting and pace of the book may have changed, I was happy to have encountered and discovered that my characters have changed in no ways. If I loved Peeta in the third book, and then I full on am obsessed with him now, and if Katniss didn't impress and inspire me before, than I'm blown away by now. One thing I liked was that I finally got a look at Gale. Let's all admit it...Gale had a thing for Katniss, and somewhere behind her thick skull she does too, but I have to admire....I feel like Peeta deserves the girl in this series. His heart is so big and plump! 

While I loved the book, I still had to give it four stars. Sections in the end had me slightly confused, which was annoying because then I had to and re-read somethings, (something that I never like to do) Along with that the last couple of pages were so jam-packed with explanations, it made the ending feel way too rushed and a lot less enjoyable. 

Other than that I'd have to say that Collin's has delivered yet another immaculate novel with stupendous and ground breaking story.

Review - Anna and the French Kiss

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton
Pages: 372 (Hardcover)
Rating: 5 !!!

Description: Goodreads

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Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?

My Review:

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I'd heard about this book for quite a while, hearing always good things about this book. Now that I think about it, I don' think that I've ever really heard one truly bad thing about this book. When I'd first started seeing these things I decided that I might as well go see what what the book was about at least, and to be honest the summary of the book really wasn't all that interesting. And then a friend of mine got the book in the past week or so and for the next couple days I heard "St Clair! I love St. Clair! He's so amazing!" After hearing her go on and on about the main male character I thought "ahhh what the hell?" and borrowed the book from her and started to read it. 

I started this book over Thanksgiving break, so I didn't get to read a whole lot, only about fifty pages over the weekend, and then on Monday I brought it to school with me...and I devoured it. Like seriously I never imagined when I started it that I'd like it, but this seriously turned out to be the best romance book that I've read all year! There are somany things that I could ramble on and on about for this book, but before I do and you end up getting bored of reading just know one thing.. 

YOU NEED TO READ THIS <3 

The number one thing about this book is the characters; one hundred percent of the way. Anna and St. Clair are absolutely precious and watching that relationship go through it's ups and downs was making goose bumps rise on my skin. Their feelings for each other literally flew off the pages, and I think one thing that made the book even more fun was it's setting in Paris. St. Clair though is one of those male characters that you can so easily get a literally crush on. his personality is so perfect and just heart warming, he rally was just one of those characters that make you hope and wish that one day you'll be able to have somebody like that. I finally understood why my friend talked about him so much. 

Another thing I loved was how well written the book was. I LOVED reading it through Anna's point of view. She was such a fun character and I could relate to her in so many different ways. Stephanie Perkins really perfected this novel and I truly am happy to be able to add it to my 'will never forget' pile (: 
A billion thumbs up for Anna and the French Kiss !! <3 

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Pages: 420 (Hardcover)
Rating: 5 !!!

Description: Goodreads

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Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. 

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. 

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. 

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out. 

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

My Review:

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There is no way my review is going to be able to give this book the justice that it deserves. It has literally exceeded my ability to write about it in all ways. So how about I make it clear right here and right now that you need to read this book; this really is one of the best books of the year by a long shot!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone and is a beautifully written book about a truly forbidden love, of a completely different world, and an entirely new look on the beliefs of magic and its ability. In it Laini Taylor has really brought forth a masterpiece of all concepts that left me sitting here, stunned grasping to try and find the right words for this review. 

This book has recently been getting quite a bit of hype, something that I now understand why. But the thing was that I wasn't entirely sure I understood the book when I'd first read about it. I'd picked up the fact that it was paranormal and had some sort of romance to it, but it wasn't until I'd picked it up and read it for a while that I finally started to see and understand it better. The book has amazing stories, in it, filled with great support and outstanding point of view in my opinion. Third person really worked out well for this book; and in a sense it reminded me of a type of ancient story that you would hear about. The plot was very strong and to me didn't seem weak at all, and really once the book hit its climax it never went back down. It just got more and more intense with the stories and the flashbacks and....and....akd;gfaij;dkj! I'm just so utterly happy and thankful for this book!

The characters now were also very strong to me. Karou and Akiva were just wonderful. Karou with her strong and wild yet mysterious personality felt fulfilling through every single page. I love learning about her past and personality a lot. Akiva...oh boy...ahaha, of course when you picture an Angel you think of perfect, and that's exactly what I did with Akiva. I literally just fell in love with his dark and scary character (always having loved bad boys ;D ) so I easily found myself falling for him, and then even harder when it got into his past. I think that anybody who reads this would have a hard time not loving these two. Besides these two main characters there were also quite a few other's that were a big part of the story and were easy to like. Besides the bad guys in the book who you're quite pron do head butts with, I loved everybody in the book.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone was one hundred percent fulfilling. Having to wait for the second book to come out is going to be absolutely grueling!!

Review - Perfect Chemistry

Title: Perfect Chemistry
Author: Simone Elkeles 
Publisher: Walker Books
Pages: 360 (Paperback)
Rating: 5 !!!

Description: Goodreads

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When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more. In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

My Review:

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Ever since reading 'Leaving Paradise' by Simone Elkeles I've been in love with her writing. There's something about her writing that instantly got me hooked so I knew right away that I wasn't going to be disappointed. Perfect Chemistry is one of those books that have literally managed to make me swoon and squeal. The story is a perfect forbidden story of two young kids who have hopelessly fallen in love without even trying. 

The number one best thing to me about this book were the characters. Every character that came across the pages had me by my heart strings. Whether it was Brittany, desperately trying to make sense of the life she's living, or Alex, the pure breed bad boy who will do anything in order to protect the mother he loves and two brother's he so desperately wants to make a better path of life for. Both character were amazing to read with, and at many points during the book I'd catch myself smiling like a mad fool, so giddy when I got those special scenes. The characters were laid out flawlessly in my eyes, and they made the book ten times better than what it already was. 

The plot had my heart beat speeding up from the beginning. The Taboo of their relationship, the danger, the forbidden taste; it's so refreshing to be able to experience that through a book, and Simone does a marvelous job. While the book did have some foreseeable things happen in it (something that usually bothers me) I actually found myself not caring because I felt that it went perfectly with the story. 

All in all, this book satisfied me one hundred percent. I guarantee that I will get my hands on the next two book sin the series as son as possible so that I can finish it, because there is no way I want to miss out on the magic that Elkeles is bringing through her stories of the Fuentes brothers. Two thumbs up, no doubt!

Review - Forgotten

Title: Forgotten
Author: Cat Patrick
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 288 (Hardcover)
Rating: 3

Description: Goodreads

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Each night when 16 year-old London Lane goes to sleep, her whole world disappears. In the morning, all that's left is a note telling her about a day she can't remember. The whole scenario doesn't exactly make high school or dating that hot guy whose name she can't seem to recall any easier. But when London starts experiencing disturbing visions she can't make sense of, she realizes it's time to learn a little more about the past she keeps forgetting-before it destroys her future. 

Part psychological drama, part romance, and part mystery, this thought-provoking novel will inspire readers to consider the what-if's in their own lives and recognize the power they have to control their destinies.

My Review:

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Forgotten can easily be described as a one sitting book. If I’d been given the time on the day that I started this book, I would have easily been able to finish this book in one day. forgotten has a very interesting and fresh idea and plot to it. The fact that London wakes up every single morning not remembering a thing from most of her past or the day before but instead can see flashforwards is a very interesting and amazing idea. We've all heard of books with characters that lose their memory, but this book is taking that idea to all new heights, and that is one reason why I liked this book. I loved reading when London was having flashforwards, hearing about how her classmates and friends were going to end up in the future. 

Patrick's characters were also a plus to me in this book. I warmed up to London very easily while reading this book, constantly feeling like London was in many ways like me; relating to a lot of things in her character. Luke was also an easy person to like. His and London's relationship was just so pure hearted and sweet, making some of their scenes fun to read. For some reason though I started to feel myself getting annoyed with Luke near the end of the book. It was only a couple of chapters but for some reason I feel like his character changed. By the last couple chapters he was back to normal, but it was still a small section that had me glaring at the pages. 

While the plot line for this book was a very interesting one and one that had my glued to the book, I still had a lot of down falls with this book. One of the things that annoyed me the most was that for a large portion in the beginning it felt like the book was going in random directions. Though I knew what the main idea was, I found myself trudging through the beginning wondering countless times when things were going to pick up. When things did start to pick up, I did get back into the grove of reading it but of course other things came up that sort of bothered me once again. The other big thing that really bothered me was last section of the book. To me it seemed like too much was pushed into the end of the book. There were so many BIG things happening, and what made it worse was that some of the events came off to me as corny. 

It wasn't the best book I've ever read but Cat Patrick still did a good job with her debut novel. Even though the plot and characters weren't enough to make up for the two big flaws I had with it, I still enjoyed reading it and don't regret it, even if it isn't a book I would recommend without a second thought. 

Review - Rot & Ruin

Title: Rot & Ruin
Author: Jonathan Maberry
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Pages: 458 (hardcover)
Rating: 4.5

Description: Goodreads

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In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.

My Review:

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Though I’m rather ashamed to say and admit it, I have never read a zombie book before up until now. Rot & Ruin is honestly the first zombie, and dystopian novel that I have ever read, and I have to be quite honest…I was not let down one bit. Of course my judgment might be slightly thrown off due to the fact that this is my first, but I can still say the least that I wasn’t disappointed with this book.

Before reading this book, I had still known a good amount of things about zombie. Had watched shows on the History channel and seen various movies with stuff like that. All of which, I’d only put one thought into a zombie. They’re mindless, soulless, flesh eating monsters. After reading Rot & Ruin though I found myself pleasantly surprised by Maberry’s ability to actually bring out a new perspective in zombies. In the book a zombie is seen by many of the townspeople as not monsters (though they are still deathly afraid of them) but as a trapped soul. In many cases as well, family in the book who had a family member rise from the dead as a zombie, requested that that family member not be killed. That’s the part that I liked. That Maberry made these flesh eating monsters…people. He did a wonderful job executing it throughout the novel, and having the characters beliefs around it form out as well about the zombies.

Up until now too I’ve never really read any true books with really good action scenes. When it came to this book through, I was literally pressing my nose into it, trying to absorb every single action and word. In many spots for the beginning the book moves slow. There’s a lot of explaining to do when it comes to things so it takes a good chuck to get everything cleared up. But then there are stories incorporated into it as well, making the book glide along and rescuing you from that sometimes slow spot. And then…you get to part three and four of the book. That is when I have to say I couldn’t put it down. The action comes in, and the big climatic scenes that you never see coming! It’s a page turning. One hundred percent turn on for me as a book lover. If the book makes me want to skip out on math and stay up extra late, well, then to me it’s a keeper.

Now, the characters in this book actually interested me some. Not really because of them being different or strange in a way, but because of Maberry’s ability to make them so realistic. Benny, our main character, to me was a very likable person. His emotions were very relatable to me, and I absolutely loved reading about his struggle in the Ruin when he started to train with his brother. If anything though Nix was a character that made me frustrated. AT certain points she’s always claiming that Benny is in love with another girl, while we get the usual of the boy saying he’s not, over and over again while the girl just keeps accusing him. It was something that really got under my skin and I wished could have been different. But still, Nix had very raw emotions and stories throughout the entire book that just managed to make you love her even when she could be a nag.

Overall it’s a very promising book. Book number two, Dust & Decay is out as well, but because of a really cruddy library system (CURSE YOU!) I will not be reading it for quite a while… ):

Two thumbs up for Rot & Ruin!

Review - Before I Fall

Title: Before I fall
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 470 (paperback)
Rating: 5.0
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                        Description: Goodreads

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?
Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.Instead, it turns out to be her last.Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

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                                 My Review:

First off, I didn't really give this book very much justice. I started reading this book in the spring of this year and am only now finishing it. I'd taken a large break from all reading over the summer and read more books before this one to get back into the swing, but let me tell you that once I was in that swing, I took off like a rocket and I had the last 200 pages of this book I had left read in less than three days. 

Sam, our main character, was somebody who could easily be found annoying in this book, but then you really need to concentrate on the 'whys' for that. She's popular, she has everythign she could wish for, and has an amazing boyfriend; who wouldn't get a little cocky over that? It's just something you have to put up with if it'll easily annoy you becuase it's Sam's journey throughout the book that makes it all worth while. From day one to day seven you see this light just shinning through her as she tries and tries to make things right, and it's finally on that seventh day that things will click together. 

Obviously a journey like the one that Sam is facing is going to be a sad one and is going to be difficult, and I have to admit that I like realistic endings. I like when there's a bit of drama and when you have characters doing stuff that you could actually seen happening in real life around you...but I'm not gonna lie; the ending to this book made me wish that it hadnt' been as realistic as it was and that it had been a fake and overly happy one. It had me cursing at the characters, closing the book and ignoring it for five minutes before just picking it up agian to keep going, but it had my heart aching. Sam truly came out to be the tragic hero of this novel; and thankfully it was executed to be for all the right reasons. 

I'd really have to say that there was only one thing about this book that got to me; and that was the repetitiveness of her living over the same day seven times. Obviously it was something I knew was going to happen before I started to read the book so I was able to jump the hurtle quite easily. The thing that did surprise me about this though was that Oliver did an amazing job of never running out of things to say. Even on the sixth day when Sam was at the same party for the fifth time, she was able to discribe stuff. Thank goodness there were different things happening each day as well, making the reading much much easier when I felt like it was starting to get slow. 

Over all this is a book that I would recommend very easily. Ask me if it's worth the read and I will most definitely say yes!