Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Title: Maybe Someday 
Author: Colleen Hoover 
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: March 14, 2014
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

At twenty-two years old, Sydney is enjoying a great life: She’s in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers that Hunter is cheating on her—and she’s forced to decide what her next move should be.Soon, Sydney finds herself captivated by her mysterious and attractive neighbor, Ridge. She can't take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there’s something about Sydney that Ridge can’t ignore, either. They soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one.A passionate tale of friendship, betrayal, and romance, Maybe Someday will immerse readers in Sydney’s tumultuous world from the very first page.

OHMYGOD. I can't even get my feelings in check enough to write this review. To put it simply, this book was a masterpiece. I don't remember the last time I felt so many emotions while reading a book. I cried throughout the whole thing. It ripped my heart out but I loved every second of it. One of the most amazing things about this book was that Colleen Hoover worked with an artist named Griffin Peterson to create a soundtrack that brings Ridge and Sydney's love story to life. Music is a huge part of my life and to have a soundtrack specifically made for this book made it feel all the more real to me. 

I won't get into too much detail about the characters and plot. This book is an experience and I wouldn't dare ruin that for anyone. This was without a doubt the most beautifully written story I've ever read and I have a hard time believing anything will top this. 

Infinity 

Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang

Title: Boxers
Author: Gene Luen Yang
Series: Boxers & Saints
Publisher: First Second
Publication Date: September 10, 2013
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

China, 1898. Bands of foreign missionaries and soldiers roam the countryside, bullying and robbing Chinese peasants.Little Bao has had enough. Harnessing the powers of ancient Chinese gods, he recruits an army of Boxers--commoners trained in kung fu--who fight to free China from "foreign devils."Against all odds, this grass-roots rebellion is violently successful. But nothing is simple. Little Bao is fighting for the glory of China, but at what cost? So many are dying, including thousands of "secondary devils"--Chinese citizens who have converted to Christianity.

 Title: Saints

Author: Gene Luen Yang

Series: Boxers & Saints

Publisher: First Second

Publication Date: September 10, 2013

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

China, 1898. An unwanted and unwelcome fourth daughter, Four-Girl isn't even given a proper name by her family when she's born. She finds friendship--and a name, Vibiana--in the most unlikely of places: Christianity. But China is a dangerous place for Christians. The Boxer Rebellion is in full swing, and bands of young men roam the countryside, murdering Westerners and Chinese Christians alike. Torn between her nation and her Christian friends, Vibiana will have to decide where her true loyalties lie...and whether she is willing to die for her faith.

Boxers & Saints was an extraordinary way to introduce readers to a horrific time period in Chinese history. The two volumes display the two opposing sides of the Boxer Rebellion. I loved being able to see this time in history told through two different view points. Unlike most other graphic novels I have read this was very thought provoking. It is a story of revenge and intolerance where there are no winners; only losers. 

5 Stars 

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Title: The Kiss of Deception
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Series: The Remnant Chronicles, book #1
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication Date: July 8, 2014
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

In this timeless new trilogy about love and sacrifice, a princess must find her place in a reborn world.
In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia’s life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight—but she doesn’t—and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom—to a prince she has never met.
On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself falling in love.

All year whenever someone has asked me what my favorite book is that I've read so far I struggle with giving an answer. Not because I haven't read some amazing books, but because I had a weird sense that somewhere out there was that perfect book just waiting for me to read. The Kiss of Deception was that perfect book. Wow. Just wow. I have read a lot of fantasy books in my days and this one blew me away. I DEVOURED this book. It was full of all the elements that I love in books; fantasy, magic and romance! 

The Kiss of Deception is not a fast-paced quest filled book, but a slow journey. Princess Lia escapes an arranged marriage and finds herself in a small village where she blends in waitressing tables. While she is there two men are on separate quests to find Lia. One is an assassin sent to kill her and the other is the prince she was meant to marry. The book was told from all three characters points of view and they were all equally beautiful narrators. Lia meets the assassin and the prince and learns their names, or rather fake names, to be Rafe and Kaden. The really interesting part of this book is that we do not know which is the prince and which is the assassin. I loved how we kinda got to see the men the same way Lia did, not really knowing their true identities. It added a fun/mysterious extra layer to the book that always kept me guessing and trying to figure out who was who. (I thought I had finally figured it out! I was wrong.)

Lia was a really intriguing character. She was vastly knowledgeable in languages and frequently used that to her advantage. She also was brave and stood up for those unwilling to stand up for themselves. Kaden and Rafe were both very interesting as well. Their characters always kept me guessing. If I were asked to sum this book up in one word it would be "beautiful". 

If you like fantasy, romance, magic or just amazing stories then The Kiss of Deception is the book for you!

Infinity 

On the Fence by Kasie West

She's a tomboy. He's the boy next door…
Charlie Reynolds can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at a chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world. To cope with the stress of her new reality, Charlie takes to spending nights chatting with her neighbor Braden through the fence between their yards. As she grows to depend on their nightly Fence Chats, she realizes she's got a bigger problem than speeding tickets-she's falling for Braden. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.Fun, original, and endearing, On the Fence is a romantic comedy about finding yourself and finding love where you least expect.

I am unfamiliar with Kasie West's previous work but from what I can tell she is a very versatile writer. I immediately connected to the main character, Charlie, even though I don't have much in common with her. Charlie is being raised by her father and three brothers after her mother dies. She is a tomboy who spends all of her time being "one of the boys" and thinks no one sees her as a girl.

At the beginning of the story Charlie gets one too many speeding tickets so her father forces her to get a job in order to pay off the ticket. She finds a job in a clothing store and there she befriends some girls she normally would never have given the time of day. Charlie starts experiencing what it is like to do girly things and to have girl friends. At first Charlie doesn't know how to behave around them and thinks they won't like the athletic side of her but she soon discovers that they like her just the way her is. I really loved seeing Charlie break out of her comfort zone and do things she wouldn't normally do.

Another aspect of this book I really enjoyed was the romance. Things start to change between Charlie and her neighbor Braden. One night they meet up at the fence between their houses and start sharing secrets. This nighttime meeting becomes a ritual, even though during the day they pretend it didn't happen.

Overall this story is just really cute and fun and I highly enjoyed it!

4 Stars 

Disclaimer: I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

This was one of my most anticipated books of spring so of course I had to read it the day it was released. This was also the first Jenny Han book that I have read and before I go any further I will say that I finally understand the hype surrounding her books.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before is about a girl in high school named Lara Jean who every time she has ever been in love with a boy has penned a letter to him containing all of her feelings towards him. Instead of giving these letters to the people they are meant for, she hides them away in a hat box until one day she discovers that the box is empty and one by one the boys she loved begin to approach her with the letters they were never meant to see.

I LOVED this book. I read it in one sitting because I was so engrossed in the story and had to know what was going to happen to Lara Jean. This book managed to encompass everything that I wanted in a contemporary book. It had mystery (who sent the letters?), swoon worthy romance, but most surprisingly it featured a story about family. The relationship I loved the most was that of Lara Jean and her older sister Margot. One of the boys in the letters is Margot's boyfriend which causes a lot of sisterly conflict but I just loved to see the entire family overcome obstacles together.

I adored both Josh and Peter and I liked how Jenny Han didn't need to make one of them dislikable in order to make the "love triangle" work. And it's not even really a love triangle in the typical sense. I just loved this book so much and loved Jenny Hans writing. I can't wait for the sequel!!

5 Stars 

Disclaimer: I read this book back in April, I just wanted to have at least one review up on my blog when I made it public!

Hello!

I have been playing with the idea of starting a blog for a while and I have finally decided to take the plunge and do it! Making video reviews has always been hard for me and something that I struggle with so I hope that in writing my reviews I will better be able to express my thoughts! Hope you all enjoy!

-Riley