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Guess who's a bad blogger...

That's right! Me! Gosh! I really, really want to be on here but when exams started, it was just too stressful to read and blog and all that good stuff. Then Summer came and I went to Spain for a week and now, here I am. I know that almost no one reads this, but I really do try to put an effort into my one or two person readers. I have been reading... Just not as much as I would like to or the books I should be reading. Literally, I haven't even finished The Crown by Kiera Cass... and those books are my life. I promise, I will have some reviews up soon!

Smiles :)

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla. 

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He's tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster. (Summary from Amazon.com)




Title: Everything, Everything
Author: Nicola Yoon 
Genre: YA Romance
Publisher: Delacorte Press

    More cliché romance coming up. Literally, my friend calls me a broken human being because, apparently, I don’t have the capacity to read and appreciate other bits of literature. I am okay with this. I am supporting the portion of the economy based on the buying, selling, and writing of YA romance. This is my justification. (Comment below to let me know some other books that I might like!) 

     I know I normally say that everything (pun intended) is amazing. I may just have really good luck in finding books that I love, OR, more likely, I sort of love everything with love as a key component. (Heterosexual or not!) But this book was different. The main character, Maddie, suffers from an immune system deficiency disorder and is forced by her mother to stay locked in an air-tight bubble, otherwise known as her house, for her safety, of course. She doesn't go to school and her closest friends are her mother and nurse. Bring in the not-so-bad boy that does parkour that moves in next door and BAM! You have a love story. Just one small problem, and that is the fact that Maddie can't leave her home. No fear, we live in a realm of technology and it wasn't too difficult for the two to begin IMing (Instant Messaging) each other. 

    I seal my lips now, because saying more would ruin the surprise that happens at the end! I literally could not believe what blossoming author, Yoon, did at the end of this book! Writting GOLD! (She was actually another YALL fest author!) I read the book in a span of 24 hours, literally, I was hooked. Part of me even wants to think that this book is sort of a more mature "Dork Diaries" with a twist. At least, the illustrations inside sort of remind me of that, but not the writing and story, which is  substantially better than those other books mentioned above. Sorry, not sorry. My reviews are honest, and my middle school self may have loved them, but no more.

Everything, Everything is a must read for all my YA fangirls out there!



5 stars for everything, 
Laken

Next review... Of Mice and Men?

#Scandal By Sarah Ockler

     A Facebook scandal goes viral after prom in this comedic, edgy novel from the author of Bittersweet and Twenty Boy Summer.
     Lucy’s learned some important lessons from tabloid darling Jayla Heart’s all-too-public blunders: avoid the spotlight, don’t feed the Internet trolls, and keep your secrets secret. The policy has served Lucy well all through high school, so when her best friend, Ellie, gets sick before prom and begs her to step in as Cole’s date, she accepts with a smile, silencing about ten different reservations. Like the one where she’d rather stay home shredding online zombies. And especially the one where she’s been secretly in love with Cole since the dawn of time.
     When Cole surprises her at the after-party with a kiss under the stars, it’s everything Lucy has ever dreamed of…and the biggest BFF deal breaker ever. But before they get the chance to ’fess up to Ellie, Lucy’s own Facebook profile mysteriously explodes with compromising photos of her and Cole, along with tons of other students’ party indiscretions. Tagged. Liked. And furiously viral.
     By Monday morning, Lucy’s been branded a slut, a backstabber, and a narc mired in a tabloid-worthy scandal.
     Lucy’s been battling undead masses online long enough to know that there’s only one way to survive a disaster of this magnitude: Stand up and fight. There’s just one snag—Cole. Turns out Lucy’s not the only one who’s been harboring unrequited love… (Summary from Google ebooks)

Title: #Scandal
Author: Sarah Ockler
Publisher: 
Genre: Realistic Fiction/ Romance

     I know, the title HASHTAG scandal sounds so corny. As if our generation isn’t filled with enough trending tags and social media. Me, being me, however, gave into the prospect of a high school romance and quirky teenage drama. Welcome to my life, everyone. The place where I deal with my own teenage pettiness, only to read about other teenage pettiness in cliché YA. Go me!!!

     This book honestly may be one of my favorite Ockler stories yet. I mean, most of her stories are centered around a girl and a guy who end up getting together after going through the trials of some sort of issue, whether it be internal, external, mental, or physical. I think that’s one of the beautiful things about her stories! (Like The Summer of Chasing Mermaids, which I am reading at the moment.) This story isn’t simply some struggle that the romancing couples have to face, however. I mean the issue really puts a damper on their relationship but, in my opinion, the entire theme of this book has to do with being aware of cyberbullying. 
     
      Maybe, the author was trying to be heroic by attempting to raise awareness for such an awful thing. Or maybe it simply made for a good story. Either way, it ended up doing the thing anyway! (Notice my very proper/professional use of the word ‘thing’ above ) I mean, this girl’s final days in high school are plagued with insults and rude Facebook posts.

      Throughout it all, she actually grows as a character. By the end of the story, Lucy has grown closer to her sister, made new friends that she would have never had before, and now she has the guy of her dreams. :SPOILER: (but not a huge one.) They catch the perp, and the slut shaming stops. 

      
      Overall a fun read with a bit of mystery and romance, just the way I like em! 

ISO new Book Shelf

Hello lovelies! So this girlie is in need of a new bookshelf! Frankly, I am running out of room on my old one and have resorted to using my entertainment center to store books. THE HORROR! I know, I know. But now I am reaching out to my Blog Babies to help me out. I'm looking for a new book cradle for all my paged and printed bambinos! (Not sure if I spelled that right!) I've scoured IKEA and Pintrest but I want your opinion! Any ideas? Comment down below or shoot me an email! 
 


I'll be waiting! 

xoxo Laken

Current Reads

I have recently been in a reading slump. School is literally draining me of all other desires besides sleep and food. Nevertheless, I have somehow managed to read a bit... I recently finished:

A Separate Peace by John Knowles 
One of the most tragic books I have ever read. Literally laid on bed crying over. Its a classic and I have already written a small something about it. (You can find that below or click here)







I am also in the process of reading a few different books. For Example...

#Scandal by Sarah Ockler
I have actually been wanting to read this for a while and our school library finally got it! I am almost done and will probably pull a late-nighter to finish it tonight. It's Romance, of course. I don't really read anything other than that. But there is also a mystery sort of vibe going on as well as high school vibe. In my opinion, most books don't portray highschoolers and the atmosphere accurately but I could truly relate some of the characters to myself or people that I know. Great read and another score for Mrs. Ockler! (I also ordered her book, The Summer of Chasing Mermaids and can't wait to get that in the mail and start reading it!

The Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard
Unfortunately, my copy of this sequel is not signed like its predecessor. I know, I know... tears. Victoria is awesome. But I am in the middle of this book and just can not move on. Like, I want to, but the story is just so slow. And I feel so dedicated to the Red Queen Series that I feel like a traitor for not finishing yet. It has been well over two months since I started. Girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do and I WILL FINISH IT! I AM A STRONG INDEPENDENT WOMAN AND I CAN DO THIS! But one of my friends (Who reads ahead and almost every book she reads), has already partially let slip what happens at the end so I am sorta happy and feel even more obligated to finish. GAH, Laken. Now you have to go read. Well bye Lovelies! I guess I am going to go drool over Prince Calore for a few hours as I finish this dang book!

DOES TRIS DIE?

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few years, you have driven past the movie theater, seen a commercial or even gone to see the phenomenon that is the Divergent. (Not to mention Theo James and his jawline!!!) I am  going to be honest! I saw Divergent before I read the book, but to be fair, I didn't actually know it was a book. I had only seen the previews and thought it looked cool. As a result, I was blown away by the first installment and was enthralled once I discovered the amazingness that is Veronica Roth and her trilogy. (Got to see her at YALLfest too, and she was dressed as Draco Malfoy. It was quite amazing!) I think I read the entire series within a week. (Well... maybe a bit longer than a week.) And this was actually last year(ish.) I had seen Insurgent, thought it was amazing (Except for that :SPOILER ALERT: scene where Tris and Four had s*x. Totally didn't happen. In fact, :MORE SPOILERS: I'm almost positive that the OTP never consummates their relationship before one's untimely demise.WE WILL GET TO THAT IN A MOMENT!) 


It's a Saturday night, and I am sitting in the movie theater watching the movie that I have been anticipating for almost a year. Very exciting, I know. Within the first 10-15 minutes of the film, I was pleasantly surprised by the likeness to the books, much like the other two movies. Then we started to get to the part where :SPOILER: the group of rebels begins to cross the wall. This is initially where things began to go down hill, yet I still had faith in the directors. Then we got to that weird invisible shield thingy... I mean, COME ON! Still, I powered through and didn't scream in frustration for the entire theater hear. (At least at that moment.) Still, the group went to the Bureau and more things happened that were so wrong, that I can't even begin to list the wrongs. LIONSGATE! I used to trust you with these things, and now I don't know if I can!!! 

I mean, :LAST SPOILER: Tris doesn't die in the movie! You just ruined the whole entire concept of the book! (Basically, Tris dies in the book!) Yes, it was sad. I got tears all over the library book, but you can't just take out such a huge part of the book. I wanted to feel that pain again and see Four's loss, and how he is still strong even after losing her. Enough to face his fear of heights! HELLO! That was the beauty of the series. The loss, the tragedy. The Fault in Our Stars, Sirius in Harry Potter, A Separate Peace, ROMEO AND FREAKING JULIET! It makes you appreciate the book more and live with the pain. You have ruined me, Robert Schwentke. Like, did you even read the book? OBVIOUSLY NOT!

Literally, at the end of the movie I screamed out "What the heck? NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!" and stomped out of the double doors at the back leavng my heart behind in a squeaky chair. 

Nowhere But Here by Katie L. McGarry

This is actually me fangirling over my book!

First of all, let me just say that Katie McGarry is one of the sweetest ladies that I have ever met. I got to see her at YALLfest at a panel with Kamie Garcia (Author of "Beautiful Creatures"), Kiera Cass (My bestfriend screamed at her to get her to sign our books and take pictures with us...) Nicola Yoon (Author of "Everything, Everything"), and a few other authors. Then at Christmas time she did a giveaway and I ended up winning the giveaway and got two signed books! (I basically ran through my house screaming about how excited I was at 1a.m.)"Nowhere But Here" was one of them and I thought I would share just how amazing her books are with the rest of the world because I love them so much!

Title: Nowhere But Here
Author: Katie L. McGarry
Publisher: Harlequin 
Genre: Realistic Fiction/Romance
Summary: Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.
Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.
No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home. (Summary from  http://www.katielmcgarry.com/page/Nowhere-But-Here.aspx ) 


Review: I will tell you a little secret. At first with this book, I was a bit skeptical. As a child, I hadn't had a very good experience with motorcycles and it just was quite a sensitive topic for me. After seeing Katie at YALLfest, my friend (not the one that yelled at Kiera) bought this book and I borrowed her copy. Obviously, the cover was a huge turn off for me. I mean, it had a motorcycle on it. But I was determined to face my little fear, which as fate would have it, is one of the themes in this book. 

Speaking of themes, I love that this story isn't simply  about a girl and a guy. There is a biker gang and the book also touches on the topic of cancer. This also hit home with me, because my mom had cancer and I know how hard that can be on a family and what it can do to your emotions. Emily, the main character, is headstrong,  stubborn and very reluctant to be a part of this new world she is being introduced to. She also has a past of her own which has scared her for life leaving her to face her inlaid fears, as mentioned above! I've said before that I like the cliche YA novels that have become the norm for our generation, and I do. This book, however, had me in tears, wanting to tear the pages out and sing all within one chapter. It was refreshing to have a book that didn't have a static plot with one girl, one guy and a happy ending. Although :SPOILER ALERT: this book has all three, it also had other elements which is why I love this and other works by Katie McGarry! 

ARE GENE AND FINNY GAY?

If you haven't read A Seperate Peace by John Knowles, you will have no idea what I am talking about. BUT... If your English teacher has forced you into reading this classic, or maybe you're just into that genre, then you will know exactly what I am referring to when I say that GENE AND FINNY ARE GAY! Or at least, Gene is in love with Phineas (or Finny). Though my English teacher is forever denying the fact that the homosexuality in this book is real, I have found so many quotes from that book that further prove my point. In fact Moufflets has a whole article pointing out the exact quotes that prove how in love Gene is with Finny. You can click here to view that. 

In case you haven't read the book here is a quick synopsis: This story revolves around two boys, Gene  and Finny and is told from the former’s point of view. The setting takes place in a boarding school in New England (not located in England) during World War II. Gene and Finny are best friends. But Finny seems to be the type that can get away with anything and do everything, such as ditching school to go to the beach, breaking swimming records, and jumping out of trees. Finny would be what you call a stud, but he can’t because the school he and Gene happen to be at is a men’s club: no girl students. (From Moufflets)

Basically... Gene spends the entire book talking about how amazing Finny is. Not only that, he talks about another dude's butt for a whole paragraph. A WHOLE PARAGRAPH! I'm pretty sure Gene even says he was meant to be a part of Phineas and that they are supposed to be near each other or something of that nature... Yea, I know. Now I have you thinking about it don't I? Gene is a homosexual. 

***Please note that this is not me being prejudiced or judging of anyone in the LGBT community. I am simply bringing up a point in this book and how almost all English teachers deny this fact though it is so obvious throughout the book.***

LORDE OF THE FLIES

Can we just take a moment to admire how horribly amazing this is? 

The Jewel by Amy Ewing

I am such a slacker. I haven't posted in almost 4 months or longer but I am trying to redeem myself! I can do this!!! :lightly pats self on the back and chants encouraging words a s typing: But as promised (even if 4 months ago) is my "Jewel" review.
Title: The Jewel
Author: Amy Ewing 
Publisher: Harper Collins
Genre: YA Romance
Summary: The Selection meets The Handmaid’s Tale in this darkly riveting debut filled with twists and turns, where all that glitters may not be gold.

The Jewel means wealth, the Jewel means beauty—but for Violet, the Jewel means servitude. Born and raised in the Marsh, Violet finds herself living in the Jewel as a servant at the estate of the Duchess of the Lake. Addressed only by her number—#197—Violet is quickly thrown into the royal way of life. But behind its opulent and glittering facade, the Jewel hides its cruel and brutal truth, filled with violence, manipulation, and death.


The Jewel by Amy Ewing, Violet must accept the ugly realities of her life . . . all while trying to stay alive. But before she can accept her fate, Violet meets a handsome boy who is also under the Duchess’s control, and a forbidden love erupts. But their illicit affair has consequences, which will cost them both more than they bargained for. And toeing the line between being calculating and rebellious, Violet must decide what, and who, she is willing to risk for her own freedom. (Review from http://amyewingbooks.com/books/)

My opinion? Well, let me just say that this book is a "Jewel"! If you have read any of my blog posts before, you know that I love "The Selection" by Kiera Cass with a passion. (You can check out my review on that series here! I haven'r read "The Handmaiden" so let me know what its like in the comments below!) Like the the summary states, I definitely got a Selectioner feel throughout this entire book. There is also a great supernatural element in this series which I really love! I guess that sort of reminds me a bit of Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. I also love that series and what I love about this book, and really any new YA books is that they feature a strong female lead. In this book, Violet is oppressed and :SPOILER ALERT: forced to carry the child of the royalty! Literally forced. Yet she still rebels and, though this may be becoming the cliche thing in YA, I sort of still love it because it make the feminist in me happy! 

Since it took me so long to actually write this review, I have had the opportunity to read the sequel called "The White Rose." I think I like that one more than "The Jewel" simply because Violet really develops as more of a dynamic character rather than just some some girl trying to escape death. The third installment, "The Black Key," is coming out on October 4th, 2016! I find this entire series to be paced pretty well even if I think some of the events are a bit... off. Don't worry, I still love the books and Amy Ewing. I can not wait until October!