ARC Review: This is What Happy Looks Like

NOTE: An ARC! Yay! It comes out April 2.

So, I saw This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith at TAB and just had the overwhelming urge to read it. I read the back of it, and got excited.

It's about this teen hearthrob actor named Graham who accidentally sends small-town girl Ellie an email, and they start an easy online friendship. But what happens when Graham decides to get his new movie set in her small town? (Drama. That's what happens)

I really liked this book. Here is why:

*I'M GOING TO TRY NOT TO SPOIL BUT LET'S SEE*

The writing style was really well done. I really like the whol modern-epistolary aspect with the emails and messages. And Smith's style was really witty. I loved the characters, the plot, and the romance of Graham and Ellie. I MUST HAPPY DANCE

The drama with Ellie made me feel all sorts feels. I really don't want to spoil anything but at first I was "Oh no this can't end well" and then I was like "This isn't going to end well, is it?" And finally, "THAT IS ALL KINDS OF DRAMA".

The ending was vague but a HAPPY vague. I won't explain how, but I managed to really like this sort of ending. Normally when this happens, I want to fall to the author's feet begging them to explain (like Hazel to Van Houten). This time I was definitely pleased.

But yes, when you can buy this book. 10 Emails out of 10.

Sincerely,

Owyyn

Language Arts Blog Posts #4: The Academy: Game On

NOTE: This is an ARC I grabbed at the last TAB meeting.

So want to know what attracted me to this book?

The fact it mentions hot teenage boys who play sports.

But I read it because it's also about a poor girl named Maya who goes to a prestigious academy to learn to be a better tennis player but encounters ALL THE DRAMA.

Now what I am about to say is a bit confusing but not a bad thing.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book.

Like in the CON section:

• Maya did the cliche thing where she ditched her friends to become both famous/popular.
• She trusted the popular girl (PRO TIP #1718 never trust popular girls)
• And it seemed like it could be a teen soap opera.

But in the PRO section.

It could be a teen soap opera. Like I mentioned in the gif above, I am weak. And I have a weakness for teen soap operas. (Namely the 3rd season of Dawson's Creek, 1st season of The O.C., the first two seasons of Gilmore Girls and seasons 1-6 of That 70s Show) If this book became a TV series, I'd definitely watch it. It has illicit hookups, bitches, love triangles, backstabbings, lesbians, and all sorts of Drama!

Jake and Maya. I don't want to spoil too much but I'm really excited for the next book in the series and see how Monica Seles handles their drama.

Maya is a bada$$ b!tch but the good kind, okay?. At first I liked Maya, then I hated her a bit, but then I really liked her again. If you read it, you'll see. But it takes balls to be surrounded by hot athletes and not make out with all of them. (There's more, but no spoilers!)

Whoohoo a second post! 

Bye :*

Owyn

Language Arts Blog Posts #3: The Corner of Bitter and Sweet

NOTE: This is an ARC. Yay for ARCs!

So at the February TAB meeting, I was telling Stephanie how I needed to get my hands on a new Robin Palmer book.

And then BAM!

The ARC gods bestowed upon me The Corner of Bitter and Sweet.

By Robin Palmer.

And when I saw it, I was like:

MINE!

It's about a girl named Annabelle with an alcoholic actress for a mother and then the mom decides to be the parent when Annabelle has been used to that role her entire life.

So, with State Testing going on this week, I managed to finish it after I did one of my tests.

I really liked it. Here's why:

*SPOILERS AHEAD I CAN'T HELP MYSELF*

At first I was a bit worried that Annabelle would be whiny about her mom suddenly taking back over, but she actually handled it well most of the time.

I thought it was a great mixture of drama and comedy (Bitter and Sweet, get it?). Annabelle had a great dry humor and sweetness about her that was also mature. But she also had her struggles because she had to hold up mirrors to her mom's mouth at a young age to see if she was still alive.

THE ROMANCE! A Robin Palmer book wouldn't be a Robin Palmer book without romance. First off, I really wanted Ben and Janie to get together (like Annabelle) but then Janie and Billy were too adorable for me to resist (like Annabelle). I really liked them together, even with the age difference and my residual feels for Ben/Janie (Benie? Jan?)

And then Matt *salivates*. When he came into the picture, I held onto my ARC tighter and almost shouted in the middle of the silent classroom "THESE TWO NEED TO END UP TOGETHER"

But I won't spoil it anymore.

:P

Definitely 123 Cameras out of 124. (minus one for screwing with me and Ben/Janie)

Bye you guys! Look out for this book on June 27th!

Sincerely,

Owyn

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars

NOTE: I read this book back in January and I'm finally able to think about it without crying or flailing (actually not sure about the second one, we'll see). And this would count as an LA blog, but I didn't read it for the first time this week.

So my mom made me read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I'm not going to lie, I was hesitant to read it because it's supposed to end sadly (presumably with character death since I knew it was a cancer book) and I felt like I didn't need that sadness.

But then my mom got me a copy (since she listens to audio books and I find that wrong). And then I read it.

OH MY GOD.

THIS BOOK.

JUST WOW-BLEEPING-WOW.

I WAS LAUGHING.
THEN CRYING.
THEN LAUGHING WHILE CRYING.
AND CRYING BECAUSE I WAS LAUGHING SO HARD.
AND LAUGHING BECAUSE I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE CRYING AND THEN I CRIED A LITTLE.

Seriously, reading this book I felt all the feels.

And I shall try to explain them to you in why this book quickly became my favorite book, hands-down (and as a person who reads as much as I do, this is quite the feat).

Besides the feels (I'm not going into that again, people are already looking at me weirdly in the library where I'm writing this), this book had a lot of great attributes.

The names: The main girl is named Hazel Grace, and my first name is Grace. And we're both named old-lady names that are suddenly making a comeback. And there was also an Augustus (don't talk to me about him yet) and an Isaac. No really annoying names like "Bella" or "Madison" or "Ashley".... Or "Kayt/Quaartheryn"

The characters: Everyone was so INTERESTING. Hazel was awesome and an amazing leading lady. Augustus was so perfect that I cried. Isaac is hilarious even in cases of peril and sadness "Hump the wall. Make sweet love to the wall"

The fandom: This book has taken over my life. I bought an "Okay? Okay." t-shirt and I also became a Nerdfighter because I've done nothing but be on YouTube and watch Vlogbrothers videos.

And you know what I realized?

It's amazing how quickly this has happened. I'm going to the book store this weekend so I'm getting any copy of any John Green book that I can get my paws on.

And now you can all join me! BUY THIS BOOK, READ IT THEN JOIN NERDFIGHTERIA.

I've gotten 2 people addicted to them so far.

Now I must go.

(By which I mean watch more vlogbrothers/crash course videos)

Second post in a day. Yay!

Owyn

Language Arts Blog Posts #2: Paper Valentine

NOTE: I finally got around to reading Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff.

So at the Breathless Reads Tour, I was really intrigued by Yovanoff's book Paper Valentine. It's about a girl haunted by the ghost of her best friend who tries to solve the series of murders that are plaguing her small town.

I can only describe this book with two words: haunting and intense.

I mean, wow. This book was really amazingly written, with a great mystery and plot that kept me on the edge of my seat. But since it was so intense, I don't think it's hit me how good it was.

Because, like Yovanoff said in the interview, I'm intrigued by serial killers (like why did they do that and why those people). So I'm hesitant to admit this book was awesome in person.

But this is the internet. GREAT JOB, YOVANOFF.

Here is a list of things I enjoyed:

*Since it's a mystery and I want y'all to read it, I'll try not to spoil it*

I don't normally like mystery but I definitely liked this book. I was totally enrapt with figuring out who was killing these girls. And when I found out who did it, at first I was like That totally makes sense and then I was like, WHY DIDN'T I SEE THIS BEFORE?

Because I try not to solve murders in mysteries and let myself be surprised. And I suck at this kind of stuff so my answers are usually:

Finny was totally the lovable rogue. Lovable rogue is a stereotype in fiction that describes guys that are kind of bad but kind of good and good girls (like Hannah) have to like them. And I really Hannah and Finny's awkward chemistry.

I hated Lillian and then I loved Lillian. As far as annoying ghosts go, Lillian was pretty damn annoying. She was always trying to assert her opinion to Hannah even though Lillian wasn't the best role model. But then at the end with the things and the stuff (don't want to give anything away) I was like, "AWW"

But yes, this book gets 10 serial killers out of 10.

Until later,

Owyn

Language Arts Blog Posts #1: The Future of Us

So I had this plan to read 75 pages of The Future of Us and then chill and write a blog post about each of those 75 pages.

That didn't really work out.

I finished the book over a course of one day.

This is what I get for making the effort to be patient: Bad things.

Sorry, Mr. Hensley.

But I made an agreement with my teacher to just do 1 blog post for each book I manage to finish.

So here's the Goodreads summary of The Future of Us.

"It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long - at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD in the mail,his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future.

By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right - and wrong - in the present"

I was very intrigued by this book. All my friends and I agreed that this was a very interesting premise. Here are the things I liked:

*AND SPOILERS ARE AHEAD! AVERT YOUR EYES*

1. Badass Premise (as stated above previously). What's cooler than a book that's barely sci-fi with a hint of historical with a ton of teen angst and romance? Nothing. That is the answer. I also liked how Asher and Mackler made the main theme/idea of the book the whole "Do you really want to know your future? And will you try to change it if you do?" (This is for LA, so I have to use fancy lit terms.)

2. Josh and Emma are so cute together. What happened last November when EVERYTHING CHANGED was Josh acting on their sexual tension. And I was like, Oh no... but then their relationship/friendship OBVIOUSLY had to become more but Emma had this weird infatuation with a runner but then they kissed and YAY!

3. The ending was SO PERFECT. So even though Josh suddenly got way more attractive to the other girls at the school and got to go out with the hottest girl in school he still liked Emma a lot. And Emma finally realized she could only have a great future is if it is with Josh and then the ball pit and then then pizza place and I can't even finish this without being attacked by my emotions.

But yes, this book definitely gets One Bazillion Facebook Accounts out of One Bazillion. Buy and read it!

Sincerely, 

Owyn

Series Review: Paradise

NOTE: My addiction for Simone Elkeles continues... and SPERLHERS. Epic spoilers.

So this series Leaving Paradise and Return to Paradise is about two people. This girl named Maggie was hit by a car a year ago and now has multiple scars and a major leg injury that prevents her from playing tennis. And Caleb, who was the guy who spent a year for drunk driving, hitting Maggie, and then leaving her there on the side of the road.

And Return to Paradise is what happened after Caleb runs away and is entered this program to inform teens about the dangers of reckless driving. And guess what? Maggie's there too.

The story was told in alternating points of view, one being Maggie's and the other being Caleb's.

At first I didn't want to relate to Caleb. It's one thing to hit someone, but then to just leave them there? And you were drunk. That doesn't bode well in my book.

But guess what?

(And this is where the spoilers from above come to play)

HE DIDN'T ACTUALLY HIT HER!!!

His twin sister did, who used to be Maggie's best friend.

So now he's fine.

But the devastating part for Maggie (back when she thought he hit her) was that she thought it was on purpose because Maggie had just told Caleb that his girlfriend was cheating on him and that Maggie has loved him for a long time. And he called her a liar.

Personally, I think the characters in this story are what made it so amazing.

I love Mrs. Reynolds. She's such an amazing elderly lady. She brought them together with her pushyness and her constant persistence that they needed to forgive each other. She was amazing. And it was heartbreaking when she died.

And the way Caleb was so protective of Maggie was ADORABLE. When people were calling her a cripple, he was always there to tackle them.

And their friends were pretty good too. Like the other re-START kids. Personally I liked Lenny and Matt. But the girls were pretty good too. I felt pretty bad for the girl who's boyfriend left her knocked up and her in prison.

Just yeah. Elkeles' writing style was so great in this one. I didn't feel like the characters were whiny (except for the twin sister, but that's forgivable and intentional). I love alternating POVs so this book was just AMAZING.

Great job, Elkeles! This is your last series I can review. Please write more.

Owyn.

Trilogy Review: Ruined Series

NOTE: Since I already mentioned that I ship this book's couple SO HARD in this post, I bet you can figure out where this review is going.

It's official.

I am addicted to Simone Elkeles.

Wow I stated that awkwardly. I meant I'm addicted to her books. (And her a little bit *winky face*)

I've already reviewed her Perfect Chemistry series and I've just been reading and re-reading all her books.

Some while ago, I read the entire How to Ruin... series from the library. And I liked the books A LOT.

So here's why:

*WHOOPS SPOILERS BEEP BOOP BOP*

The premise is AWESOME. I've never heard of a book like this: A Jewish-American girl falls for an Israeli boy just before he has to go into the Army and their pitfalls and steamy-points along the way. I was instantly smitten with them because their relationship is just so... quirky but complementing.

It's awkward, but it's funny awkward so it's fine. I am so empathetic that I blush when awkward/embarrassing things happen to characters and DAMN did awkward things happen in this series. Like Avi saw Amy naked before they were together, Amy's dad Ron had a lot of sex talks about their "urges" and "parts", and Amy even kidnapped Avi with plastic handcuffs...

I loved that scene because it was PERFECT, fyi

Amy and Avi are perfect but not perfect, okay? Let's see if I can be clearer than that... Even though they cheated on each other a couple times, I still love them together because they are just so perfect TOGETHER. And now that they have an actual relationship without that bull "don't ask don't tell" or "non-boyfriend/non-girlfriend" crap, I ECSTATIC because they can finally just be with each other without anything stopping them!

I need to calm down a bit before I write my review for the Paradise series, also by Elkeles. That will probably be up tomorrow (hopefully, I have TCAPs so everything is confusing)

Bye you guys!

Owyn

Post Script

When I was looking for gifs to use in my News Part 2 Post, I was in my school's library on one of the computers. And people kept looking at me like "Why are you on Tumblr looking at gifs of a guy ripping off his shirt?"

I was just like:

The things I do for you guys...

JK I love any excuse to go on Tumblr. And I just hit 900 hits on my blog!!! You guys have no idea how much this means (even though I know I'm probably 200 of them). Thank you so much for reading my blog and putting up with my eccentricities. I had no idea I would get this far and I love it so THANK YOU. When I think back to how I started book-blogging I was like:

But thanks again. Love you all! 

Adios!

Owyn

News Part 2 (AKA Owyn has a mental breakdown)

Here's the book I'll be reading for this:

But this book is the book to end all books. It has a LOT riding on it.

For example, I'm getting a grade on my blog posts about it (and since I can't do anything without swearing and my teacher will be reading these I'll be a bit frightened).

And I know you're all going to enjoy my pain if/when I get in trouble for it.

And I'm reading it for the Colorado Teen Lit Conference. I actually get to be on a panel and ask Jay Asher questions about this book. I AM NERVOUS AND EXCITED. I don't even know what to do.

AND I'm writing a review of it for a literary magazine that my Journalism teacher is a part of.

Obviously I'm calm about this.

No seriously I could not be more excited for this. I just hope I don't screw this up royally.

Bye guys!

Owyn

News Part 1

NOTE: Lots of gifs. Yay!

Okay you guys, I've mentioned before I'm a sophomore in high school and a book blogger (pretty obvious) and now those two are going to beCOME ONE.

So my LA teacher Mr. Hensley gave us the news yesterday that weren't going to have to write a comparison essay on characterization in Life of Pi and Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.

Which, alone, is worth celebrating.

And instead we get to find a book we actually want to read and get to write blog posts about it every 75 pages!

I (pretty much) do this anyway!

So the next two weeks are Colorado Testing and I get to do what I already do instead of write an essay.

YES YES THANK YOU MR. HENSLEY!!!!

But that's what I'm going to be doing for the next fortnight. 

Holla back at you later,

Owyn