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[New Post] Review: Someone I Used to Know

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36532172

 

Title: Someone I Used to Know

Author: Patty Blount

Page count: 348

Published:  August 7,2018

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Genre: Teen / YA

Received: Netgalley

Rating: 4/5

Summary:

TRIGGER WARNING: Boys will be boys is never an excuse.

It’s been two years since the night that changed Ashley’s life. Two years since she was raped by her brother’s teammate. And a year since she sat in a court and watched as he was given a slap-on-the-wrist sentence. But the years have done nothing to stop the pain or lessen the crippling panic attacks that make her feel like she’s living a half-life.

It’s been two years of hell for Derek. His family is totally messed up and he and his sister are barely speaking. He knows she partially blames him for what happened, and totally blames him for how he handled the aftermath. Now at college, he has to come to terms with what happened, and the rape culture that he was inadvertently a part of that destroyed his sister’s life.

When it all comes to a head at Thanksgiving, Derek and Ashley have to decide if their relationship is able to be saved. And if their family can ever be whole again.

My Thoughts:
Before I get into my review I have to say that this book has a trigger warning. So if you are unable to read books about rape then don’t read on.

Rape is not something that’s easy to write. I commend the author for taking on such a subject.

This book also happens to be told in different POVs popping back and forth between the past and present. It doesn’t just focus

Ashley is in high school as a freshman who was raped by a senior football player. From her brothers football team. Ashley had a crush on him, she gets to know him and they spend time together she also trusted him.

The thing that’s got me is that it was all because of a game What?! I have no words to that.

This book is so many different things wrapped into one. It’s raw, devastating and gut wrenching to read. There’s so many others that I’m feeling right now after finishing it but I honestly don’t know how to put it into words.

[New Post] Review: Never Look Back

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21420189

Amazon / Goodreads

Title: Never Look Back

Author: Lori L. Otto

Page count: 394

Published:  April 25, 2011

Publisher: N/A

Genre: Contemporary

Received: Bought my self

Rating: 4.5/5

Summary:

To say Emi Hennigan’s life over the past two years has had its share of peaks and valleys is an understatement – and her friends and family would agree. With the unanticipated romance with her best friend, and the unforeseen friendship with her brother’s acquaintance, Emi sees a new future unfolding right before her pale green eyes. Her optimism returning, she is gaining more confidence in her emotions, and she welcomes her newfound happiness.

Jack Holland is elated that Emi has allowed him into her life. For him, it was love at first sight when they met in college, and after years of keeping his feelings in check at the advice of his best friend, he is finally free to express to Emi exactly how she affects him. Always practical and level-headed, the growing romance inspires Jack to let down his guard.

His patience rewarded, everything appears to be falling into place until Emi delivers shocking news to Jack that will force him to reevaluate his priorities. Knowing what he’s always wanted in life, he has to decide what he’s willing to sacrifice to be with the woman he loves – even if he’s not always certain his feelings are returned.

In the conclusion to Emi Lost & Found, Jack guides Emi through a year of self-discovery, and teaches her that faith in true love – and in soul mates – can yield happiness from even the darkest of places.

My Thoughts:

This is the last book in the series and it was an emotion at that.

Jack’s POV had me smiling from ear to ear the whole time. I didn’t think that I would be able to love him more then I did in the last one. In this one we get to see how Jack was before meeting Emi, he was engaged and broke it off because his fiancé didn’t want to have kids and having a family with someone is important to him.

I loved that Jack and Emi are complete opposites of one another. I think that’s what made them so great for one another.

There was one part of the story that drove me a little insane. Where Jack has to go on a business trip and Emi and Jack stopped talking. She was a little distant before the trip and Jack wanted her to go but she decided not to go. There was a point were Jack had enough of the silent treatment an told Emi that she needed to stop.

Is this the perfect conclusion to the series? Yes? maybe? no? Do I wish that there was a different ending? Yes of course. Do I think it could have been different, maybe? Do I feel like these characters have more to say? No, I think everything got said that needed to be said.

The last chapter of this book we get to see the last things at Emi says and it was fitting for the story. She is able to move on smiling.

[New Post] Review: Time Stands Still

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21420175

Amazon / Goodreads

Title: Time Stands Still

Author: Lori L. Otto

Page count: 386

Published:  April 22, 2011

Publisher: N/A

Genre: Contemporary

Received: Bought my self

Rating: 4.5/5

Summary:

Emi Hennigan could never have predicted her life would be like this. After wasting more than ten years being “just a friend” to her true love, Nate Wilson, Emi feels more than a little regret. Her future was set, though. Nate loved her as much as she loved him, and they were moving forward with a romance that took them both by surprise. They already knew their bad habits, quirks and the subtle nuances of expressions, but the love was all-encompassing and new to them both.

No man could compete, Emi thought, until one night – one evening, one party, one journey, one second alters her course completely.

That night, her brother’s confident best friend, Jack Holland, comes back into her life with a mission: to spend more time with Emi to prove he is the right man for her. A romance with him is the furthest thing from Emi’s mind, though, staying loyal and steadfast to a trusted man that she will always love.

In a year’s time, though, Emi must learn to make changes she’d never before considered after being impacted by unexpected events. While her fragile spirit takes time to heal, Jack slowly finds a comfortable place in her life. Only time will tell if it’s right for Emi – and enough for him.

My Thoughts:

This book had me crying a damn river. The first few chapters were read through tears. Every time I stopped crying I would just cry all over again. Every time that I put the book down to compose my self I was always thinking what was going to happen next. So, I just pushed though the tears as much as I could.

There’s something that happens at the end of the first book that is truly gut-wrenching. I can even imagine going though and I think that’s why I cried like a baby because I haven’t felt anything like that an I hope that never do.

Emi meets Jack and he is Emi’s knight and shining armor. He is there for her when she needed someone. He is such a sweet an lovable guy.

This book is in Emi’s POV and you get to know her a little better and see all the things that she had to face. There were some parts that I was a little upset with Emi because of the things that she had said but with the stuff that she had gone though I guess it’s understand able in a way. Reading how Emi and Jack got together I felt kind of guilty at first because Emi and Nate were soulmates. So, to read Emi with someone else was hard.

I had re read this book because I was in a book funk and I also wanted to have a good cry ya know?

I really love this series which may sound a little odd because I said I cried like baby, but I love books that can make me cry. I think I said that before on a few of my reviews. I have to say this is in my top ten most heartbreaking books that I have read.

[New Post] Review: Lost and Found

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21420156

Amazon / Goodreads

Title: Lost and Found

Author: Lori L. Otto

Page count: 388

Published:  August 8th, 2010

Publisher: N/A

Genre: Coming of Age

Received: Bought my self

Rating: 4.5/5

Summary:

“There was true depth to the story and the characters that moved me and emotionally gutted me. I was so taken by Nate and Emi’s love for each other. It’s the kind of love that few have and many desire but never get to experience.” – Megan, Reading Books Like a Boss

Independent and sensitive, idealistic and hopeful, Emi Hennigan lives her life with optimism and an open mind. Between sharing a tiny Manhattan apartment with her fun-loving roommate and spending most of her free time with her heart-breaker friend, Emi’s seen enough failed relationships to know what to avoid in her quest to find her true love. Not only that, but a single moment from her past lingers in her mind, setting high expectations for every man she dates.

Emi’s best friend, artist and hopeless romantic Nate Wilson, has been her closest companion all of their adult lives. After swearing off love with Emi in a silly high school pact, Nate has been seeing other women in hopes of finding one that evokes stronger feelings than the ones he’s been harboring for Emi since he was a teen. Over the span of a year, boundaries are crossed, feelings are confessed, and their unique friendship begins to blossom into something more.

Through Nate’s eyes, an atypical romance unfolds, disrupting the comfortable safe haven their friendship has provided. With a promising future ahead of them both, fate intervenes to bring two soul mates together.

My Thoughts:

This book takes place about 10 years after the first one. Emi and Nate are still friends, but they are not together, they are keeping a pact that they made when they were younger which I find cute.

There is a lot of chemistry between Emi and Nate, but they don’t do anything about it until later. They both date other people and go their separate ways. There relationship didn’t feel forced an I liked that about it the story because some you read, and you like there just getting to know one another in one chapter and in the next there sleeping with one another. So, it was nice to see that this one was realistic and took its natural course.

There was a part of the book that I saw that something was going to happen because of the way the book as going. I don’t remember when it actually happens but oh my gosh! I had to re read it a few times because I thought it didn’t really happen. With that being said… I think that it made more of the story more relatable. Nate is an amazing guy for Emi. I loved this book because we also got to see more of Nate which I loved. He’s such a charming, cocky, caring guy. Emi Is a lucky to have him, if he didn’t I wouldn’t mind scooping him up.

[New Post] Review: Words We Don’t Say

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38455969

Amazon / Goodreads

Title: Words We Don’t Say

Author: K.J. Rilly

Page count: 288

Published:  October 2nd, 2018

Publisher: Disney – Hyperion

Genre: Teen/ YA

Received: From Netgalley

Rating: 3.5/5

Summary:

Joel Higgins has 901 unsent text messages saved on his phone.

Ever since the thing that happened, there are certain people he hasn’t been able to talk to in person. Sure, he shows up at school, does his mandatory volunteer hours at the soup kitchen, and spends pretty much every moment thinking about Eli, the most amazing girl in the world. But that doesn’t mean he’s keeping it together, or even that he has any friends.

So instead of hanging out with people in real life, he drafts text messages. But he never presses send.

As dismal as sophomore year was for Joel, he doesn’t see how junior year will be any better. For starters, Eli doesn’t know how he feels about her, his best friend Andy’s gone, and he basically bombed the SATs. But as Joel spends more time at the soup kitchen with Eli and Benj, the new kid whose mouth seems to be unconnected to his brain, he forms bonds with the people they serve there-including a veteran they call Rooster-and begins to understand that the world is bigger than his own pain

My Thoughts:

When I read the synopsis of this book I thought that it was interesting. Joel is an interesting character he saves most of his text messages, he doesn’t hit send. He bottles up his emotions.  He’s also volunteering at a soup kitchen and struggling with not having his best friend Andy around because he died. He’s just trying to make it though high school.

One of the things that I enjoyed with Joel was that he was sarcastic and yet honest with himself. I loved how the book deals with some of the important things at that are going on in the world now like homelessness, guns, religion, PTSD etc. I don’t want to give away too much.

After reading this book I think it’s a coming of age story that all teens should read. Because of the topics at hand. I think they will find it relatable.