Book Tour: Forever Layla by Melissa Turner Lee

4.5/5


BOOK DESCRIPTION:
What if the woman you envied most is the person you are destined to become?

In 1994, high school senior David Foster was the lackey and soundboard geek for his best friend's grunge band. During spring break, the band lands a dream gig playing at a motel in Myrtle Beach, SC. David expected all the girls to ogle the guys on stage, but when a beautiful blond "Bond Girl" approaches him and calls him by name, he's shocked to find out she knows more about him than a stranger should.

She even knows about his notebooks and his visions of time travel.

What she thought was a quick time-travel-sightseeing trip takes a surprising turn when she meets the young adult version of the man she'd heard stories about as a child. His fairy-tale romance with the woman he'd loved, Layla, inspired her to accept nothing less than a love just as strong...but hopefully not as tragic. When she won't tell the younger version of him her name, he calls her Layla--and the world as she knows it changes forever.

BOOK REVIEW:
 Melissa has wrote a book so unique, that it would just keep you reading non-stop. I mean it. I highly recommend this book since it's a mixture of a lot of genres ( YA, Contemporary, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance and time-travel)  When I started reading Forever Layla, I already knew it was going to be amazing, and definitely worth reading. These first impressions of mine didn't turn me down. I loved how the book was well-written and how the plot had the perfect development. The thing that I love most about David and Layla was even though there relationship was moving too fast, you would feel their hearts telling them that they have a connection. A connection, so deep that they wouldn't and couldn't leave each other even though some people are against them. One of the things I realized too was that the story seems to be predictable, but it's totally different from what you would think will happen next. This is the first time I have read any of Melissa Turner Lee's books, and I now know who my next favorite author would be. I would say that all the beautiful adjectives there are, aren't even enough to describe how brilliant this book is. 

Rating 4.5/5

BOOK PLAYLIST:
 1. Smells Like Teen Spirit- Nirvana
2. Man In the Box- Alice in Chains
3. Heart Shaped Box- Nirvana
4. You & I - One Direction
5. Come as You Are- Nirvana


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melissa Turner Lee holds a BA in Communications with a concentration in Journalism from the University of South Carolina. She has studied fiction writing since 2008, attending various writing conferences and workshops, along with guidance from professional writing coaches. She resides in Spartanburg, SC with her husband and 3 sons.
Twitter: @MelissaTLee1975

Book in Review: Waiting for the Storm by Marie Landry

5-star rating



Title: Waiting for the Storm
Author: Marie Landry
Publisher: Self- published
Published: April 9, 2013 
Paperback: 204 pages
Rating: 5/5

  It is really hard for me to express how much I love this book. To be creative and also for a change I will list down an A-Z list of adjectives that best describe this book, and beside it, I will be writing a brief explanation of why I think the book is to be described as such.

A-mazing - I guess this is pretty much self-explanatory, very few books could achieve such an amazing content. Since I gave this book a 5-star rating, it seems like it's speaking by itself. "Read me, you'll be amazed."
 
B-eautiful - When I finished reading this book, all I can think about is how beautiful it is. This is actually the first word that came to my mind when I hit the last word.

C-aptivating - This book did not get me hooked when I started reading it, but when I finished reading it I was attached and captivated with such a beautiful story.

D-imensional - I felt that I was inside the book and watching everyone and everything from a near distance. There were just a few characters in the story, but all of them felt real.

E-motional - There were really times when I got teary-eyed by reading this. To be honest, that is very rare for me since I don't cry a lot when I read books or watch movies. This book just makes me emotional.

F-lawless - Again it is very unusual that there is nothing wrong with a book, but I promise this book was flawless for me. From the title to acknowledgements, I can't find anything wrong.

G-enuine -  I have read some books where I feel that relationships move too fast, and you won't feel how genuine the two character's love for each other is. In this book, Ezra and Charlotte did not rush into anything. They just enjoyed themselves.

H-eartfelt -  The story went right into my heart!

I-maginative - Marie created a book that was a bit cliche but you can definitely see the creativity in Waiting for the Storm. Maybe it was her writing style that I liked, it was written in Charlotte's POV, and  I can feel the depth of the words while I was reading it.

J-oy - Even though, I was very emotional  while reading this book, it gave me joy and made me smile as if I was the one in the happy ending.

K-iller - The book is a killer! It is incredibly powerful, and it will really stick to you. Might not be on the very beginning, but it slowly clings to you.

L-ove - Just as I said in Genuine, both Ezra and Charlotte did not rush into things. They waited for the perfect time when they were absolutely sure that they do not just like each other but love each other.

M-oving - I love stories like this when both main characters aren't perfect. They might look gorgeous on the outside, but on the inside they are full of sadness and their lives aren't perfect. They were able to work it all out because they were both able to easily relate their feelings. That is what made this book moving.

N-oteworthy - There is so much wisdom in every page Marie made, and I believe that this is her talent she needs to continue.

O-ne - This book was the first book I've read of Marie's and I would definitely read more of her works.

P-erfect - Since I said that the book is flawless, then that means it's perfect!

Q-uotable - There were so many lines from the book that I wanted to grab and quote, but here's some that I really love:
"What a cool name. Where'd you get it?"
"I've always had it."

"If this is a break-up speech, stop right there. I know you have to leave next week,  but I told you we'd  find a way. I'm not letting you-"
 
R-are - Waiting for the Storm contains a very rare love story and rare situations to put characters in. This is one of the main reasons why I love and enjoyed this book.

S-ad - The first word that came to my mind after reading this book was beautiful, but it was a sad kind of beautiful. The good thing is I was contented with how the book ended. The ending have worked out, and everyone was happy. They all know that there is a lot more in store for them.

T-ouching - If I could summarize the whole book in one word, it would be 'touching'.

U-nforgettable - I don't think I will ever forget this book.

V-ivid - Everything that happened was clear and made perfect sense. There was never a part where I doubted something.

W-orthy - There were totally no regrets reading this book. It was totally worth it. Who wouldn't want to read a story that is very inspirational and will break your heart but will soon leave a smile on your face. That is what literally happened to me.

X-enodochial - I looked up the meaning of this word and it's definition is 'friendly to strangers'. I would definitely recommend this book to all those who just started giving YA a try. This book can make you love YA, and definitely love reading more books.

Y-oung - The book started off with Charlotte's mother death, and basically her family is falling apart. On the other hand, Ezra is a boy who is full of secrets. Both of them have a lot of similarities and as their relationship grow, it's not just a young puppy love but something a lot more.

Z-esty - Since I can't think of any more adjectives starting with Z. I thought of one that partly describes the book. The book isn't lively, but it's very pleasing.

That's it! Those are 26 adjectives that I think best describes the book and what I feel about it. 

OOOOH, and by the way thanks again for the awesome swag Marie!


Have you read Waiting for the Storm? What do you think? Leave a comment!

Book in Review: Summer on the Short Bus by Bethany Crandell

5 star
                                                         
Title: Summer on the Short Bus
Author: Bethany Crandell
Format: ARC
Paperback: 272 pages
Publication Date: April 1, 2014
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Rating: 5/5
Received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 
Cricket Montgomery is a rich and spoiled kid, who is sent by her father to a camp. She is already dreading the fact of going to a camp, but what makes her eventually faint is when she finds out that the campers are actually handicapped. The only thing keeping her in the camp is a Zac Efron look-a-like aka Quinn. How will Cricket get through that summer camp? Which will she choose, her Zac Efron look-a-like, or her luxurious life back home? 

This book has a unique beauty in it which is rare to all books. I absolutely agree with what others say that Bethany's writing style is funny and witty. It's also very blunt and clear which makes this book very easy to understand. The writing style made the book very suitable for its target readers. I wasn't exactly laughing out loud, but I definitely shared a few chuckles in my head. I couldn't put the book down when I started reading it. As a result, I finished reading the book in one sitting. I also liked how the book is a cliche, but still wonderfully amazing. Usually, when I read books with a cliche plot, I won't give it a 5 star rating. The difference with this book is that the author was able to write it well enough that I couldn't give it a lower rating.

Book in Review: Strange Sweet Song by Adi Rule

2014 release

Strange Sweet Song


Title: Strange Sweet Song
Author: Adi Rule
Format: ARC
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Hardcover: 336 pages
Rating: 5 awestruck stars/ 5 also awestruck stars

NOOOOOO! I didn't want to give this book 5 stars. It wasn't because the book wasn't nice. It was because it felt like surrendering to this book's beauty, this book's charm. I saw all the 5-star and 4-star reviews of this book and thought to myself, I won't fall for it! I was so wrong. I'm here now writing a 5-star review of Strange Sweet Song.

I'll be starting with a synopsis of this book.

Sing da Navelli is the daughter of Barbara da Navelli, a famous opera singer. Since her mother died during her lead role as Angelique in Angelique, she has strived to be the next Barbara da Navelli. The only problem is that she isn't a diva like her mother. When she arrives at her new school, she finds out that her school will be having a play, Angelique. 

Her father does not know that her school is putting on Angelique which is why Sing was free to audition. She gets a role (I won't say which role) and starts having voice practice with Apprentice Daysmoor. She doesn't like Daysmoor from the very start. He's a grumpy, mean, emotionless man but is he really? 

Sing realizes that everything is not how it seems. She faces a lot of challenges. She finds love in the most unexpected place. She runs into betrayal. But most of all, she finds herself.

My Review:

This book was very original. There was enough hinting at was gonna happen that it didn't leave you utterly confused and enough restraint that you didn't feel like there were spoilers. Some may say that Adi hinted too much but I thought it was just right. I loved how Sing's name wasn't just a random choice that the author picked to make the book nicer. It was a conscious decision and affected a lot of things in the book. She was able to emphasize the pressure put on Sing. She was also able to show how Daysmoor helped her find herself without being the sole (or even main) cause for her determination to finally find herself and get better. 

WARNING: THIS PART MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!

BOOK IN REVIEW: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

acceptance


Title: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Author: Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication date: February 21st 2012
Hardcover: 359 pages
Rating: 5/5 stars

 It's funny how after I finished reading Tell the Wolves I'm Home (will review this next time) I told myself "I don't think I'll ever find a book that will measure up to this perfection", and then a month later stumble upon this impeccable, engrossing, coming-of-age tale of two friends as they go through self-discovery and their exploration of identity and sexuality. Guess I proved myself wrong. I don't even know what to say anymore, except that this story is simply divine, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since I finished it two days ago.

 I have cried over books for as long as I can remember, but never have I cried for more than half the time reading one. Let me just say that with other books, I had to stop reading, let out my feelings, then read again. But with Ari & Dante, I couldn't put the book down. I was probably an amusing sight (if you could've only seen me) - crying while reading from my iPad. I wonder what it would've been like if I was reading from an actual hardcopy book - it probably would have been drenched with my tears.

For Anyone Who Has Ever Been Called "Fat"

beautiful

Growing up I've learned to just ignore the people who have nothing nice to say. 

I am called "fat" every single day of my life and I've learned to stop caring.

Let's backtrack a little. 

When I was younger, I was a chubby little kid who liked wearing sleeveless clothes and short dresses because I thought they were pretty and looked nice on me. And I just felt more comfortable wearing them. People would tease me calling me taba (fat) but I didn't really care. But when I went through my puberty years, I stopped wearing dresses, and traded them for tshirts and shorts. Somewhere in my unconscious, I didn't feel that confident about myself because of my body type, even if I didn't admit it outloud. It was like there was this silent inner voice at the back of my mind whispering to me everyday that I wasn't thin enough to be pretty or nice.