Deidra "Finally" Reviews Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Author: April Genevieve Tucholke
Release Date: August 15, 2013
Publisher: Dial
Pages: 368
Series: Between #1
Source: NetGalley

Summary:  You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.

Why I Loved It:  I have to say that this book and I have had some mixed feelings.  I knew this was one book I had to read.  I love Gothic atmospheres set in modern time.  It's such a nice spin on the spooky when it's set in our time.  For me, the spooky was mastered well in this book.  I do not enjoy serious creepiness that makes it hard for me to sleep though.  *Not a Stephen King fan here*  However, I like enough to make the reading enjoyable and to get a sense of some serious strange stuff beginning to happen.  For me, this book had all of that.  It's got the creepy edge, but I could still read it right before bed without wanting to turn on a light.  *Man, I really am a baby!*  

The book centers around two siblings that are living in a huge house that is left over from past family wealth.  The money's not present anymore, but the family still deals with the separation of class that comes from money in a small town.  Violet and Luke's parents are off somewhere in Europe doing whatever it is artists do in Europe, and they are not exactly siblings that get along.  I will say that this trend in YA with completely absent parents really bugs me.  It drives me battty and bonkers.  WHERE ARE THE PARENTS??

Anyways, Violet is a bit obsessed with her dead grandmother, Frankie, to the point of wearing her clothes and using her old room.  Her grandmother Frankie was someone who heavily believed in God and therefore the existence of the Devil.  She had some interesting ideas on that, and Violet has picked up a few of them.  Enter River.  He shows up in town, and Violet knows she shouldn't trust him.  Somehow though, he wins her trust and many other peoples'.  There is so much more to him though than meets the eye.  Or heart.  With him ushers in all kinds of interesting events.  

Whether or not I loved Violet, I will say that Ms. Tucholke can write like nobody's business.  The story was full of beautiful imagery and fabulously eery atmospheres.  Tension and weird events were mastered on a level that many have not succeeded in for me.  Beautiful and eery writing is just a huge part of this story and what really sold me on the story.  

Low Points:  

• Violet is so much like an old soul to the point of not being believable at times.
• River and Violet's relationship bothered me on multiple levels.  The unhealthy "I don't trust you but here let me make-out with you" really drives me crazy.  
• Absent parents.  *Will now move on before starting the same-ol' rant*

High Points:

• Beautiful and rich atmosphere full of creepy Gothic-y things
• Gorgeous writing
• Small town atmosphere mixed with a huge old house full of history

Who Should Read It: If any of you have read The Dark Companion by Marta Acosta and loved it, I will suggest this book.  Otherwise, if you love Gothic stories and creepy things, pick this one up!

Need a Second Opinion?

Giselle @ Xpresso Reads

Christina @ Readers of Fiction

Sara @ Forever 17 Books

         

Deidra Reviews The Catastrophic History of You and Me

Author:  Jess Rothenberg
Release Date: February 21, 2012
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers
Pages: 375
Format: ARC

*Special thanks to ARCycling for the book!*

Summary:  Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever. 

BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally. 

But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after.

My Favorite Lines:

“No matter how much you think you know a person - no matter how pretty they act, or how popular they seem, you can never know what their lives are really like.”

“Love is no game. People cut their ears off over this stuff. People jump off the Eiffel Tower and sell all their possessions and move to Alaska to live with the grizzly bears, and then they get eaten and nobody hears them when they scream for help. That’s right. Falling in love is pretty much the same thing as being eaten alive by a grizzly bear.” 

Why I Loved It: Brie (like the cheese) is a typical teenager.  More like a typical teenage girl.  She has what appears to be the perfect life.  Dying puts a whole new perspective on things though.  Especially when you die from a broken heart.  Literally *with actual correct usage of the word*.  The thing is that life is never as it appears, and people can always seem to fake their way through a lot of things for a lot of people.  Brie learns this... even if it was the hard way at times.

Despite the whole death thing, the book was light, filled with humor that be found among many girls.  When she dies, Brie watches her memorial service and funeral.  She then finds herself in A Little Slice of Heaven, a.k.a. the best pizza on the West Coast.  Inside the pizza shop is a boy named Patrick, gorgeous and perfectly annoying *but a bit pretty much perfect too*.  I truly loved Patrick in the story.  He continued to surprise me time and time again, and he really loved Brie.  So much so that he was willing to sacrifice himself for her.  That's rare.  I fell head over heels for him as I read.  also, Brie's best friends in life were also pretty awesome.  Sadie is the only one that gets a lot of character development, but all of them got enough for me to want to hang out with them.

For a debut, I found the story to be quite good, quirky, even if the ending was a bit weird.  There are moments in the book where the writing is breathtakingly beautiful.  I can see Ms. Rothenberg getting better and better!  

Low Points:  The ending was kind of strange for me, but I saw a lot of people's reviews that loved it.  At times, Brie really drove me crazy, verging on annoying me.  Sometimes that just happens for me when I read books whose main target audience is teenagers.  

High Points:  The romance between Brie and Patrick is beautiful, missing that "lust" at first sight business.  I love how the book takes perspective and just twists and then twists it again.  It was an interesting way to show how perspective affects our lives.  The book also shows a lot of relationships, with strengths and weaknesses both in family and friends.  The insight into the grieving process was interesting too.

Who Should Read It:  I recommend to people who like Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver and other ghosty stories with light humor.  I think it was more a focus on contemporary than paranormal.

Need a Second Opinion?

Sash and Em

The Book Basement

My Heart Hearts Books

Review: The Symptoms of My Insanity

Author: Mindy Raf

Released Date: April 18, 2013
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Pages:  384
Source: NetGalley
[add on Goodreads]

Summary: A laugh-out-loud, bittersweet debut full of wit, wisdom, heart, and a hilarious, unforgettable heroine.

When you’re a hypochondriac, there are a million different things that could be wrong with you, but for Izzy, focusing on what could be wrong might be keeping her from dealing with what’sreally wrong.

I almost raised my hand, but what would I say?
“Mr. Bayer, may I please be excused? I’m not totally positive, but I think I might have cancer.” No way. Then everyone at school would know, and they would treat me differently, and I would be known as “Izzy, that poor girl who diagnosed herself with breast cancer during biology.”

But Izzy’s sense of humor can only get her so far when suddenly her best friend appears to have undergone a personality transplant, her mother’s health takes a turn for the worse, and her beautiful maybe-boyfriend is going all hot and cold. Izzy thinks she’s preparing for the worst-case scenario, but when the worst-case scenario actually hits, it’s a different story altogether—and there’s no tidy list of symptoms to help her through the insanity.

Why I Loved It:  Ok from page one, I was laughing out loud.  In fact, I was laughing so hard that I had to read the first couple of pages to my mom, who was also began laughing out loud.  Possibly, many people wouldn't enjoy the book half as much as I do *I have seen a lot of 3-Star reviews*.  Still, I found the book to be one of the funniest books I have read so far this year.

Izzy is a sorta-hypochondriac, not that she recognizes it.  She is constantly worrying about what is wrong with her.  She is probably trying to avoid the fact that her mother has a rare form of cancer.  Plus she is running out of time to create a kick-butt art portfolio.  Her best friend really wants a huge chunk of her free time for the school musical.  And as always, there is a boy, though all may not be what it seems.

Maybe I am just a fan of snarky humor.  Perhaps that's why I enjoyed the book as much as I did.  I understand what it means to be clueless.  I got Izzy.  I really understood her crazy which is probably why I loved the book.  Now granted, I'm not a hypochondriac.  I probably don't worry enough about what's wrong with me.  Still, when I've had people I loved get really sick, I wanted to do anything to make them better.  And I definitely wasn't always able to see things right in front of my face during high school.  Izzy may be quite the naive character, but it works.

I will say that I kind of knew where some things were going, and it was like watching an upcoming train wreck.  I wanted to scream at Izzy, but still I loved her.  A lot of girls will understand what it's like to be Izzy when it comes to her new-found love life.  And so many of us can relate to the high school issues she faces.  The book is a bit overwhelming because Izzy is facing so much.  I can understand who it may be too much for some people, but I just rolled with it.  The Symptoms of My Insanity is full of laugh-out-loud moments, clever wit, and relatable characters that are easy to love.  

Who Should Read It:  I sincerely recommend this book to any book lover who really enjoys contemporary and snarky humor and can handle the book drama.  It's a pretty fabulous read!

          

Review: My Life Next Door

Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Release Date: June 14, 2012
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Pages: 394
Source: NetGalley
[add on Goodreads]

Summary: A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another.

One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over. 

My Favorite Lines:

“He instantly covers my fingers with his own, giving me his slow, intoxicating smile. I feel a pang, as though I'm handing over a part of myself I've never offered before.”

Did you know that in space it's very, very cold? And there's no oxygen? And if an astronaut fell out of a shuttle without his suit he'd die right away?"

I'm a fast learner. "But that would never happen. Because astronauts are really, really careul."

George gives me a smile, the same dazzling sweet smile as his big brother, although at this point, with green teeth. "I might marry you," he allows. "Do you want a big family?” 

Why I Loved It:  It breaks my heart that I didn't read this first when I was approved for a NetGalley copy.  Life got busy and so on, sob story, and moving on.  There was a review of it a couple weeks ago that I saw, full of raving compliments which then led me to Goodreads, also full of raving reviews.  I knew then that it was time to read this book.  And so it began.

First off, the book meets all the hype head on with confident swagger.  *Yes, that is possible*  I mean the book just oozes confidence.  It's good and it knows it.  There is nothing more attractive than confidence. *Hence my unhealthy attraction to fictional bad-boy characters*

Sam, daughter of a wealthy state senator, meets the not-so-typical boy next door that lacks some of that wealth.  They come from completely different backgrounds, her's from a life with a huge void and his from a home full of love and life.  She is one of two children *many times feeling like the only one* and he is one of eight.  EIGHT!  Now I know a family of seven going on eight kids, so I can say that the author got the family dynamics completely right, though the family I know is a lot more conservative.  So minus the crazy hair dye, motorcycle, and the lack of girls in the room restrictions, I have seen this type of family in action.  The reality of the family is definitely helped by the fact that the author has six children.  That sounds so fun.

My favorite part of the book wasn't the love story.  It was Sam's interaction with Jace's family.  In all honesty, it was the huge sense of family all throughout the book that drew me in.  It's amazing how the absence of that type of love and devotion we only get from our families was filled in a small way by each member of Jace's family in Sam's heart.

 Now my issue, which I am prepared to receive all kinds of criticism and eye rolls for, is that I did not like how fast Jace and Sam's relationship went.  Call me old-fashioned, because I am, but buying condoms with a boy she only knew for about a month is a little crazy.  I know it's a book, but gah that seems fast for someone as level-headed as Jace was.  Anyways, it bugged me.  Otherwise I loved Jace. He was thoughtful, loved fixing things, and he had the heart that Sam needed.  My other tiny concern was that I wished for more resolution.  What happens with Jace and college, Jace's dad, and Sam with the swim team?

 I loved how the characters were totally turned around at times.  It was interesting to see which one of the twins ended up being there for Sam.  The author will make you love, hate, and laugh.  For a moment, you will long for a big family.