Book Review: Slide by Jill Hathaway

Slide (Slide #1) by Jill Hathaway

My rating: 70% Crushworthy

Summary Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered. Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body. Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane. Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

Book Review: Breathe

Sadie White's summer job isn't going to be on the beach life-guarding or working at rental booths like most kids her age. With her single mother's increasing pregnancy and refusal to work, Sadie has to take over her mother's job as a domestic servant for one of the wealthy summer families on a nearby island.

When the family arrives at their summer getaway, Sadie is surprised to learn that the owner of the house is Jax Stone, one of the hottest teen rockers in the world. If Sadie hadn't spent her life raising her mother and taking care of the house she might have been normal enough to be excited about working for a rock star.

Even though Sadie isn't impressed by Jax's fame, he is drawn to her. Everything about Sadie fascinates Jax but he fights his attraction. Relationships never work in his world and as badly as he wants Sadie, he believes she deserves more. By the end of the summer, Jax discovers he can't breathe without Sadie.

You know how sometimes you'll pick up a book, intending to read one or two chapters, but you find yourself sucked into the story and can't get enough and the next thing you know three hours have passed and you've read the whole thing? Yeah, well, Breathe is one of those books.

Growing up, Sadie White had to take on the role of the responsible adult because her pregnant mother, Jessica, wasn't about to do it. With the school year over and the summer beginning, Sadie is thrust into taking over Jessica's job cleaning house. Upon arrival, Sadie discovers she is employed by none other than the teen pop sensation Jax Stone. Despite their best efforts and knowing it will never work once the summer's over, Sadie and Jax quickly fall for each other.

Sometimes when I start reading a book it'll take me a little time to get into it, but I quickly fell into this story. The writing is very easy to read, the characters are likable, the setting is delightful, and the story itself is quite enjoyable.

Sadie is very self-sufficient and determined. She's a bit of a loner, but without being too broody. Most of the time I find it annoy to read about a character that's beautiful and doesn't know/believe it. Sadie's a bit different in that she knows she's inherited some of her attractive mother's physical traits, but she wants nothing more than to fade into the background and remain invisible.

Her relationship with Jessica is frustrating in that her mother takes advantage and puts far too much responsibility on Sadie's shoulders. Instead of being bitter, though, Sadie just presses on and does what she must.

I did, however, enjoy when Sadie began to develop more friendships with the rest of the staff. Ms. Mary and Marcus were particularly enjoyable characters. Ms. Mary seemed like the kindly grandmother everyone would like. And Marcus was a nice guy. Even when it became clear Sadie didn't return his feelings, he still stuck by her and whenever she needed him, he was there.

Jax was a bit mysterious at first. Much like Sadie, I was almost expecting a spoiled pop star, but he turned out to be a really good guy. He was incredibly sweet, definitely a charmer. Even in the small glimpses we - the reader and Sadie - saw of the pop star, Jax still a nice guy. I didn't care for some of his decisions throughout the story. I thought he could have handled some things better, but what would a story be without someone making bad choices?

As for the story itself, I enjoyed that even though Jax was a pop star and in the public eye, the majority of the story felt pretty normal. By "normal" I mean it was a story of a guy and girl who were attracted to each other but lived in two very different worlds that would make it very difficult for their relationship to work in the long term.

Overall, I found the story to be a fantastically fast read. It's perfect for a lazy day at home or out in the sun. Even though there's some angst, it's still quite delightful! I'm quite looking forward to reading more of the Sea Breeze series!

Book Review: Chopsticks

After her mother died, Glory retreated into herself and her music. Her single father raised her as a piano prodigy, with a rigid schedule and the goal of playing sold-out shows across the globe. Now, as a teenager, Glory has disappeared. As we flash back to the events leading up to her disappearance, we see a girl on the precipice of disaster. Brilliant and lonely, Glory is drawn to an artistic new boy, Frank, who moves in next door. The farther she falls, the deeper she spirals into madness. Before long, Glory is unable to play anything but the song "Chopsticks."

But nothing is what it seems, and Glory's reality is not reality at all. In this stunningly moving novel told in photographs, pictures, and words, it's up to the reader to decide what is real, what is imagined, and what has been madness all along...

When I picked Chopsticks from the library, I have to admit that I was somewhat surprised. Somehow my eyes just glossed over label "graphic novel" in the past, but I decided to give it a chance anyway.

Visually, it's a gorgeous novel, and I really liked the idea. The result, however, left something to be desired. The words were very sparse, and while I like the idea of letting the pictures speak for themselves, I think a little more text would have helped the story along.

That being said, I did enjoy the novel. I liked that there was room for the reader to interpret the story in different ways. I found myself going from being absorbed in what I thought was a love story to being thrown for a loop.

In the future, I would probably come back to this book again just to look at the lovely photography and see if the story speaks to me in a different way. Overall, I think it was a valiant effort and fresh idea, but it slightly missed the mark for me.

Book Review: Beautiful Disaster

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

This is a book was on my radar for a while before I finally picked it up. I'd heard so many good things, so I was pretty anxious to start reading. I once read a comment where someone said this book was like crack, and I quickly understood why. It's addictive and very hard to walk away from.

The characters are often times frustrating, and the relationships are often dysfunctional. There were times I wanted to throw my Kindle across the room and tell Abby and Travis to get their crap together, but it certainly made for a roller coaster ride of good reading.

Book Review: Slide

Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.

Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body.

Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane.

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

When I stumbled across this book last year and read the summary, I was immediately intrigued and could not wait for this book to come out. I was thrilled when I found it at the library, but I must confess that it took me a little while to really sink my teeth into it. However, once I got through about the first 60 pages or so, I was into it and read the rest in one sitting.

Vee Bell can slide into other people's minds and body when she touches something they've "imprinted" on. Only no one knows about her ability. When she tried to explain it to her father, she sent her to a therapist. Instead, to explain her strange habit of passing out, everyone thinks she has narcolepsy. As frightening and strange as the ability is she's been able to work her way around it. Until she finds herself seeing through the eyes of a killer.

Overall, I found the story very refreshing. It's paranormal, but very much rooted in reality, which was a concept I really enjoyed recently while reading Fracture by Megan Miranda. It's actually something I would love to see more of in the genre.

I liked Vee. I found her easy to relate to. She certainly hasn't had it easy. Between her mother's death and her absentee father, she's charged with seeing to her younger sister, Mattie, and struggling with the rift that's developed between her and her best friend, Rollins. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

I enjoyed the secondary characters as well, though I would have liked to have seen them develop a little more. Because Slide is the first in a series, I hope that will be remedied in future books.

As far as the plot goes, I think I was hoping for a bit more. It was a good mystery, and seeing random aspects through Vee's sliding added some interesting angles. However, it seemed to lack some of the urgency I would have expected since there was a murderer on the loose. Of course, Vee was the only one who truly knew this fact, but even so I think I just expected her to be a little more frantic.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, and I'm certainly curious to see where the sequel leads.

Book Review: Jenna & Jonah's Fauxmance

Fans of romance don't need to look any further than the fauxmance brewing between teen idols Charlie Tracker and Fielding Withers-known on their hit TV show as Jenna and Jonah, next-door neighbors flush with the excitement of first love. But it's their off-screen relationship that has helped cement their fame, as passionate fans follow their every PDA. They grace the covers of magazines week after week. Their fan club has chapters all over the country. The only problem is their off-screen romance is one big publicity stunt, and Charlie and Fielding can't stand to be in the same room. Still, it's a great gig, so even when the cameras stop rolling, the show must go on, and on, and on. . . . Until the pesky paparazzi blow their cover, and Charlie and Fielding must disappear to weather the media storm. It's not until they're far off the grid of the Hollywood circuit that they realize that there's more to each of them than shiny hair and a winning smile.

When I first read the summary for this book, I thought it sounded interesting, but, to be completely honest, I wasn't expecting to enjoy it nearly as much as I did.

Charlie Tracker and Fielding Withers are stars of a hit show as Jenna and Jonah. To keep interest in them and in the show, Charlie and Fielding have been faking a relationship. Then, when Fielding's sexuality is called into question, their carefully constructed lie falls apart along with their television show.

For Charlie this is devastating because she doesn't know what to do without her career, but for Fielding, who's real name is Aaron, this comes as a relief and escape from a life of lies he finds dissatisfying.

Their agents scheme and get them cast in a production of Much Ado About Nothing at a Shakespearean festival, which forces them to stretch their acting abilities for the first time in years.

Overall, I enjoyed the plot. There were some sections toward the beginning that I felt dragged a bit, particularly after Aaron is "outed" and he and Charlie escape from the public eye. There were some good moments between those two in those sections, but I think it could have been tightened up a bit because by the time their next gig arrived I was half expecting the rest of the story to take place in Carpinteria.

As far as the characters go, I liked both Charlie and Aaron for the most part. There were times when I really didn't like the way they behaved, but I found myself sympathetic to both of them throughout.

The banter between Charlie and Aaron was some of my favorite parts, and seeing their relationship develop after they no longer have to pretend to be in a relationship was nice. Though they'd known and worked together for years, being thrown together and forced to fake a relationship hindered the friendship that was beginning to blossom before they were forced into their fauxmance.

I thought the writing was pretty good. The story switches back and forth between Charlie and Aaron's point of view, and while I thought some of those transitions could have been smoother, I did like the alternate storytelling.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I thought it was a pretty cute and fairly easy read.

Book Review: Fracture

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

Fracture is one of those books I had my eye on for a while, and I was extremely pleased when I found a copy at the library. Admittedly, I've kind of been "off" paranormal novels for a while. I think perhaps I overloaded myself with too much fantasy/sci-fi last year, but Fracture proved to be a good novel to ease myself back into the genre.

By all accounts, Delaney Maxwell shouldn't be alive. When she was pulled from the icy lake, it had been eleven minutes. No one expected her to come out of the coma, and if she did, she should have had severe brain damage. Yet, somehow, Delaney survived. Despite what the brain scans said, she was fine. Or so it would seem.

Delaney quickly realizes that something has happened to her. An itch in her brain seems to pull her toward the dying. Scared and eager for answers, she meets Troy, who has also survived a coma and also seems to feel the pull.

I found Fracture to be a really fascinating read. In my mind I was expecting something a little more out there--as far as the paranormal aspect goes--so I was pleasantly surprised to see the science side of things downplayed. The doctors couldn't explain how she survived, or how Delaney continued to function as she always had. The itch in her brain is written off as being hallucinations caused by her medication and the traumatic experience.

I actually enjoyed the fact that doctors couldn't find anything, which left Delaney to try to figure things out for herself. When Delaney met Troy, who also seems to have the same ability, I was, of course, wary of him, and I'd hoped that he would have some sort of insight. However, Troy's darker side seems to emerge, and even by the end of the novel, I still couldn't decide whether he was actually a bad guy, misguided or just misunderstood.

Delaney's miraculous survival is not without it's complications, though. Her mother is terrified of losing her (even though the worst has already seemingly happened). Decker, Delaney's best friend, saved her from the icy water, but things haven't been the same between them since.

Overall, I thought the story was very intriguing. I liked that there was a mix of the mysterious and paranormal paired with every day trials of being a teenager. I felt that the ending was a little abrupt and would have liked for a bit more there, but I was satisfied with the novel as a whole.