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Thursday, January 3, 2013

{MINI-REVIEWS} HOPELESS, THE SECRET OF ELLA & MICHA, THE COINCIDENCE OF CALLIE & KAYDEN, WALLBANGER, THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY

HopelessSeries: Stand alone
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Publisher: Colleen Hoover
Publication Date: 12/19/12
Source: Bought
Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.


My Thoughts ~   Hopeless is without a doubt one of the most powerful stories I've ever read. I was intrigued, swooned off my rocker, giggled at the wit between Holder and Sky, reduced to a quivering, huddled teary-eyed wreck. I stayed up until 3:30 am on Christmas morning to finish Hopeless, knowing my kids would be up by 6:00 am. I did not regret that decision. The way in which Colleen told this story... my mind is blown. I cannot recommend Hopeless highly enough. But, be sure to have tissues on hand. Read this.



The Secret of Ella and Micha (The Secret, #1)Series: The Secret #1
Genre: Contemporary New Adult
Publisher: Jessica Sorensen
Publication Date: 10/2/12
Source: Bought

Ella and Micha have been best friends since they were kids. But one tragic night shatters their friendship and their lives forever.

Ella used to be a rule-breaker with fiery attitude who wore her heart on her sleeve. But she left everything behind when she went to college and transformed into someone that follows the rules, keeps everything together, and hides all her problems. But now it's summer break and she has nowhere else to go but home.

Ella fears everything she worked so hard to bury might resurface, especially with Micha living right next door. If Micha tries to tempt the old her back, she knows that it will be hard to resist.

Micha is sexy, smart, confident, and can get under Ella’s skin like no one else can. He knows everything about her, including her darkest secrets. And he’s determined to bring his best friend, and the girl he loves back, no matter what it takes.

(New Adult Contemporary)
*Mature Content** Recommended for ages 17+ due to sexual situations and language.

 
My Thoughts ~  I liked this one, quite a bit, but not as much as I'd hoped to. Maybe it was the hype, maybe it was that I had just read a phenomenal book. The writing felt a bit awkward at times. Overall, though, it was a sweet story. Ella and Micha were two kids who'd lived hard lives. Their connection was strong and beautiful. The character development was good, and the ending was open-ended, but cool. I will definitely be reading The Forever of Ella and Micha.



The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden (The Coincidence, #1)Series: The Coincidence #1
Genre: Contemporary New Adult
Publisher: Jessica Sorensen
Publication Date: 12/13/12
Source: Bought





There are those who don’t get luck handed to them on a shiny platter, who end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, who don’t get saved.

Luck was not on Callie’s side the day of her twelfth birthday when everything was stolen from her. After it’s all over, she locks up her feelings and vows never to tell anyone what happened. Six years later her painful past consumes her life and most days it’s a struggle just to breathe.

For as long as Kayden can remember, suffering in silence was the only way to survive life. As long as he did what he was told, everything was okay. One night, after making a terrible mistake, it seems like his life might be over. Luck was on his side, though, when Callie coincidentally is in the right place at the right time and saves him.

Now he can’t stop thinking about the girl he saw at school, but never really knew. When he ends up at the same college as Callie, he does everything he can to try to get to know her. But Callie is reserved and closed off. The more he tries to be part of her life, the more he realizes Callie might need to be saved.

(New Adult Contemporary)*Mature Content** Recommended for ages 17+ due to sexual situations and language.

 
My Thoughts ~  Another story of two broken people, who find strength in one another. Callie and Kayden broke my heart. Each are dealing as best they can with the horrible circumstance they've been dealt. The issues that Callie and Kayden had were handled very beautifully by Sorensen. I loved that she took her time with the characters, letting them get to truly know and understand one another. I really enjoyed The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden and the ending was BRUTAL! I will definitely be on board for The Redemption of Callie and Kayden.




WallbangerSeries: Stand alone
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Publication Date: 11/27/12
Source: Bought
Caroline Reynolds has a fantastic new apartment in San Francisco, a KitchenAid mixer, and no O (and we’re not talking Oprah here, folks). She has a flourishing design career, an office overlooking the bay, a killer zucchini bread recipe, and no O. She has Clive (the best cat ever), great friends, a great rack, and no O.

Adding insult to O-less, since her move, she has an oversexed neighbor with the loudest late-night wallbanging she’s ever heard. Each moan, spank, and–was that a meow?–punctuates the fact that not only is she losing sleep, she still has, yep, you guessed it, no O.

Enter Simon Parker. (No, really, Simon, please enter.) When the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. Their late-night hallway encounter has, well, mixed results. Ahem. With walls this thin, the tension’s gonna be thick…

In her third novel, Alice Clayton returns to dish her trademark mix of silly and steamy. Banter, barbs, and strutting pussycats, plus the sexiest apple pie ever made, are dunked in a hot tub and set against the gorgeous San Francisco skyline in this hot and hilarious tale of exasperation at first sight.

 
My Thoughts ~  New. Favorite. You guys, I loved this book so much that I can hardly stand it! I was in dire need of some fun after reading some very "heavy" books. Wallbanger gave me all the fun I could handle, and then some. The characters, particularly Simon and Caroline, were flawless. Wallbanger read like a romantic comedy, would be a fantastic movie. There were some times I laughed so hard that I snarfed and had tears streaming down my face. The only downfall? It ended. When it comes to Wallbanger, believe the hype.



The Sea of TranquilitySeries: Stand alone
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Publisher: Antisocialite Press
Publication Date: 9/5/12
Source: Bought

I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.Full of rage and without a purpose, former pianist Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone discovering her past and to make the boy who took everything from her pay.

All 17 year-old Josh Bennett wants is to build furniture and be left alone, and everyone allows it because it’s easier to pretend he doesn’t exist. When your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, a hot mess of a girl who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. The more he gets to know her, the more of a mystery she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he may ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding or if he even wants to.

The Sea of Tranquility is a slow-building, character-driven romance about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.

Please Note: This book contains mature content including profanity, drug/alcohol use, and sexual situations/language.


**The Sea of Tranquility was bought by Atria and has a new cover and details. Since I bought the book when it was still self-pubbed, I chose to include the original cover, which is very meaningful to the story.**

My Thoughts ~ The Sea of Tranquility is a beautiful, brutal, emotionally exhausting, soul-crushing masterpiece. Seriously, I have no clue what to say after reading TSoT. As soon as I finished, I told my BFF to read it, now. She asked what she could do to prepare. My answer: Alcohol. Beer. Defribrillator. And Tissues. I'm so exhausted that I can't even begin to comprehend writing a full review. I just...I just don't know what I can possibly say that many others haven't already said. And much more eloquently than I could ever hope. I just sort of want to die when I think about how completely perfect TSoT is. My brain is oatmeal. And I'm really happy to now be part of the super-special group on Facebook that's dedicated to this book. (Thanks, Megan!) I have a feeling that I'm going to need to do a lot of feelings-sorting there, lots to think about.

I get to meet Katja Millay at a book event in Florida in February. I want to hug her. Ask her how the hell she ever created such a phenomenal story and characters. If her soul ached while writing as much as mine did while reading. Cry a little bit. Then thank her. And give her another hug. When I have her sign my copy, I'm sure there will be tear stains.

It should be said: There's a special place in heaven (or wherever you believe) for someone who can write boys like Josh Bennett and Drew Leighton. Especially Josh Bennett.  



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24 comments:

  1. Thanks for the reviews! I've really been getting into new adult novels recently, so these are good recommendations. I really enjoyed the Jessica Sorensen novels, but I need to pick up Hopeless and some of the others.

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  2. TSoT was freaking amazing! PLEASE HUG HER FOR ME AS WELL! Katja is a rockstar!!!!!!! Heh. And I need to read Wallbanger. Everyone is loving this book. I'm so glad you enjoyed Hopeless (ha, I stayed up long after midnight as well just to finish it and know what happens, un-put-downable) and TCoC&K (on my TBR pile as well + the cover is goooorgeous!!). Sorry TSoE&M didn't work out for you as you hoped it would, but hopefully the sequel is better:) So many great NA books were published last year and I need to read them AALLLLLLL. Love this post!

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  3. I agree with everything you said about Hopeless, TSoT, and Wallbanger. I still need to read Jessica's books. I get to meet Katja today and I'm afraid I'll be a blubbery mess. She posted a picture of a bookshelf yesterday and said she needed Josh to make her a new one. So, I commented that I just wanted Josh. She said she would loan me Josh, but I had to bring him back with me to our lunch today. Now, only if that were true. *sigh* Then there's Holder, who is also a new favorite man o'mine. These guys...

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  4. I just finished Hopeless, The Sea of Tranquility and The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden. I absolutely LOVED them all!! And you're right...Josh is amazing! I loved Holder, too. Kayden broke my heart. I just want to hug him!

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  5. So glad you love Wallbanger, it was so awesome, and fun. :D

    I still need to read all of the others above, I own them all except Sea(which IMO is way too expensive for a e-book) but I will be watching for sales on it, and can't wait to read it.

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  6. I have Hopeless and can't wait to read it. OMG all the reviews for The Sea of Tranquility are amazing. I need this book in my life. Also, I totally want to read Wallbanger. I could use a funny book. Great reviews!!

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  7. Love the mini reviews! I'm halfway through Hopeless now. Think I'll need a fun read after.

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  8. WOW! Andrea, this is amazing. I have the Coincidence of Callie and Kayden waiting to be read, and the publisher provided me with The Sea of Tranquility to review, I still haven't gone around to read it.
    But such wonderful reviews. I think that I will need to buy these four book, just so they sit on my shelf.
    GREAT post
    Your reader,
    Soma
    http://insomnia-of-books.blogspot.com/

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  9. I am dying to read Hopeless, Callie and Kayden, and Wallbanger! I'll probably cheat on my TBR and read all of them soon! But now I'm worried about Callie and Kayden since you say the ending is brutal... maybe I'll wait a little while. I just read Flawed, idk if I can handle another killer right now. Great reviews!

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  10. I just bought Hopeless and now I can't freaking wait to get to reading it. The only other one that really interests me in this set is The Sea of Tranquility I think I will grab that one today! Great feature Andrea, loved it!

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  11. They all look interesting..awesome reviews and thanks for sharing.

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  12. I've only read The Sea of Tranquility and you know how I feel about that one. I felt completely emotionally drained after that one.

    I'll have to check out a few of the others. I love your mini reviews. I have a batch coming up next week. It's a nice way to talk about a group of books you've read without spending so much time on the reviews.

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  13. I've read all of these except The Sea of Tranquility but have heard amazing things about it. I hope I can get to it soon.
    I LOVED the other books! I just finished Hopeless yesterday and my heart still hurts. Loved Jessica's books and Wallbanger was freaking funny and sexy as hell. Really needed to read a book like that. Great reviews!

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  14. Hopeless was my first completed book of 2013 (finished on January 1st). Wow...that book. I've LOVED all three of Colleen Hoover's books. She is definitely an auto-buy author for me.
    I've got The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden to read soon!
    The synopsis of both Wallbanger & Sea of Tranquility & your reviews have me adding these to my TBR :-)

    Love these mini-reviews!

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  15. What great reviews. I won a copy of Hopeless, but it hasn't arrived yet. I'm really looking forward to it. I loved Ella an Micha, and I have Callie and Kayden, but haven't gotten to it yet. Maybe I'll wait for the sequel so the brutal ending won't leave me desperate. I have The Sea of Tranquility to, and hope to get to it soon. As for Wallbanger. I've had my eye on this for a while, but after reading your review, you have convinced me to get it. It seems like I've been reading a lot of really emotional books lately and could use something really funny. Flawed stayed on my mind for days after I read it, geez and I finished it on Christmas Eve of all times, but it was so worth it.

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  16. Andrea, how the hell did you come up with the idea to post all these brilliant books together? Normally, I'd pass up a post this long, but because it was YOU I HAD to read it all, and I was mesmerized by EVERY WORD. You gosh darn genius you. I have only read one of these books (not gonna say which one, because there are facebook friends that are already stalking my reading list...) But I have ALL of these on my SOON TBR list. Thank you so much for these beautiful words that have put these books directly in front of me again. You rock!

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  17. Awesome review, I recently featured Ella and Micha in a coffee pot review, and will have Callie's book featured this month. all of the others will be featured soon and I adored all of your reviews! I am so into this genre right now!

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  18. Wow..most of those are coming up for me. Hopeless is one I keep hearing about but I don't have. Hmmmm....

    Valerie

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  19. The Sea of Tranquility didn't click in my head right away but suddenly it popped in, I just was use to the other cover.
    What absolutely amazing reviews. Somehow you say so much while saying so little. I have heard amazing things about all of these books and it seems like after I read the reviews I really want to get them right that moment, but your reviews make me want them even more! If I wasn't pulling my hair out with review books I would buy them NOW. But for now they'll just sit on my wishlist.

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  20. Best grouping of books ever, Andrea! <3 I loved TSoT so much! I am in awe of Katja...AWE!! I can't wait to meet her at RT! <3

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  21. I loved all these reviews, Andrea! I enjoyed Ella and Micha, scared to pick up Callie and Kayden (hate cliffhangers). I wasn't sure about Wallbanger, but after reading your thoughts, I might have to pick it up. I have to fit in Hopeless somewhere. I've been seeing so many great things. :)

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  22. I've read Wallbanger and it was a lot of dun, plus there was so much more to it than I expected! And I can't wait to read The Sea of Tranquillity :D Great mini reviews!

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  23. Beautiful reviews... all of them are on my tbr list and your reviews make me want to devour them all right now.

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  24. I am so glad you loved TsoT, it's absolutely the best book ever! Hands down!

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