Insomnia by J. R. Johansson

                                                🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:
Her eyes saved his life.
Her dreams released his darkness.

After four years of sleeplessness, high school junior Parker Chipp can't take much more. Every night, instead of sleeping, he enters the dreams of the last person he's made eye contact with. If he doesn't sleep soon, Parker will die.

Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. But what starts out as a chance meeting turns into an obsession; Parker's furious desire for what he needs pushes him to extremes he never thought he'd go. And when someone begins to terrorizing Mia with twisted death threats, Parker's memory blackouts leave him doubting his own innocence. 

I thought that this book was interesting because Parker's ability to experience other peoples' dreams is the very thing that is killing him. Think about how much power you could have being able to do that. He is able to see memories, fears, etc. and he could use that to his advantage. I believe that is why I enjoyed the fact that Parker was so vulnerable. He is dying and doesn't know what is going on with his own mind throughout the book. He is missing periods of time and feels as if he is going crazy. I think that this gives the book a good balance of power so to speak. 

I appreciated the author's writing style because I think that it aided me as the reader to understand the motives behind Parker's actions. He was so desperate to save himself that he became someone that he didn't recognize. Parker's emotions leapt off the page as did the emotions of others. I'm not sure that I loved who ended up being the one that was stalking Mia. It made sense but something about it didn't feel right to me... Maybe it was too obvious or I didn't like the reasoning behind the stalking. I can't quite put my finger on the exact reason why. The book was still really good and I'm intrigued by it enough that I may read the next one in the series.

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Lesley Walton

                                                  🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟




Synopsis:
Foolish love appears to be the Roux family birthright, an ominous forecast for its most recent progeny, Ava Lavender. Ava — in all other ways a normal girl — is born with the wings of a bird. In a quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to fit in with her peers, sixteen-year old Ava ventures into the wider world, ill-prepared for what she might discover and naive to the twisted motives of others. Others like the pious Nathaniel Sorrows, who mistakes Ava for an angel and whose obsession with her grows until the night of the summer solstice celebration. That night, the skies open up, rain and feathers fill the air, and Ava’s quest and her family’s saga build to a devastating crescendo. First-time author Leslye Walton has constructed a layered and unforgettable mythology of what it means to be born with hearts that are tragically, exquisitely human.

I can honestly say that I have never read a book like this one before. It is extremely unique! While it was interesting, I was bored and found it hard to pay attention.

The author does not even begin to talk about the main character until about halfway through the book. The synopsis as well as the prologue of the book make it seem as if Ava has spent years trying to figure out why she is different. In reality, the book focuses on her family tree until we finally hear about her actual life later on.

This book was just okay for me. It wasn't exactly what I expected and was slow paced. If you are looking for a unique book that doesn't really have anything happen until the last 50 pages then this book is for you.

Monsters (Ashes Trilogy #3) by Ilsa J. Bick

                                              🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Synopsis:
The Changed are on the move. The Spared are out of time. The End...is now. When her parents died, Alex thought things couldn't get much worse—until the doctors found the monster in her head. She headed into the wilderness as a good-bye, to leave everything behind. But then the end of the world happened, and Alex took the first step down a treacherous road of betrayal and terror and death. Now, with no hope of rescue—on the brink of starvation in a winter that just won't quit—she discovers a new and horrifying truth. The Change isn't over. The Changed are still evolving. And...they've had help.

The action is this book is still as good as the other other books in this trilogy. I don't think that there was ever an issue with that part of the trilogy. The issues for me lie with the different points of view. They were not as bad in this book as they were in Shadows, the second book in the ashes trilogy. It was still a bit bothersome though. 

My main issue with this book was that the ending was so open ended. I have no idea what happens. The majority of the questions that I had while reading the first two books were answered but the author left the ending in such a way that I have no idea what the future holds for any of the characters. I don't feel like things with Alex were resolved and she is the character that matters the most because she is the first one introduced. 

Shadows (Ashes Trilogy #2) by Ilsa J. Bick

                                              🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:
The Apocalypse does not end. The Changed will grow in numbers. The Spared may not survive. Even before the EMPs brought down the world, Alex was on the run from the demons of her past and the monster living in her head. After the world was gone, she believed Rule could be a sanctuary for her and those she'd come to love. But she was wrong.

Now Alex is in the fight of her life against the adults, who would use her, the survivors, who don't trust her, and the Changed, who would eat her alive. Welcome to Shadows, the second book in the haunting apocalyptic Ashes Trilogy: where no one is safe and humans may be the worst of the monsters.

I think that this book is even better than the first with one exception. There are way to many points of view!  I don't understand why the author felt the need to have so many people talk about their journeys when I was used to hearing only Alex's voice in the first book. Honestly, I don't give a crap about Lena. She annoys me and I don't feel any connection to her whatsoever. There were other characters that were interesting to hear from but I found myself confused about whose point of view I was reading about many times. I had to look back and remind myself who it was before I could continue reading the book. It would have been easier and more satisfying to only have Alex's point of view during the book. 

I thought that everything else was done well. The action and tension were taken up a notch and everyone is fighting for their lives in different ways due to their specific situations that they find themselves in. I have a feeling that the new characters we met along with others are going to clash and we are going to have an epic battle on our hands! 

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

                                           🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis: 
It could happen tomorrow . . .

An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions.
Alex hiked into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP.

For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it’s now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human.

Author Ilsa J. Bick crafts a terrifying and thrilling novel about a world that could be ours at any moment, where those left standing must learn what it means not just to survive, but to live amidst the devastation.

Gripped me from beginning to end – dark, creepy and suspenseful.  James Dashner,
New York Times Best-Selling author of The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials       
             
This book is what I have been looking for! I wanted to read something with action that I could really sink my teeth into much like the changed in this book do. Haha! 

I loved Alex! She is the kind of heroine that I want to read about. She was strong yet vulnerable. She didn't always know what to do or how to go about things but she never stopped trying. After reading the reviews, it seems like people didn't appreciate the change in her at about the halfway point because it changed the tone of the story. I think I can understand where the author is coming from though. Alex is terrified! He entire world has changed and she is attempting to adapt to it the best way that she can. After fighting through tragedy and now the new dangers that surround her, she had to have been exhausted. Everyone gets tired of fighting and I believe that is what happened to her. 

I'm not sure that I loved how long the book focused on this but I was able to understand because the next book seems to be the one where readers get a lot of questions answered. This book was laying the ground work for the next one and it couldn't do that unless readers were able to understand the different factions of people in the world now. 

Salt and Stone (Fire and Flood Series #2) by Victoria Scott

                                           🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Synopsis: 
How far would you go to survive?

In FIRE & FLOOD, Tella Holloway faced a dangerous trek through the jungle and a terrifying march across the desert, all to remain a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed for a chance at obtaining the Cure for her brother. She can't stop - and in SALT & STONE, Tella will have to face the unseen dangers of the ocean, the breathless cold of a mountain, and twisted new rules in the race.

But what if the danger is deeper than that? How do you know who to trust when everyone's keeping secrets? What do you do when the person you'd relied on most suddenly isn't there for support? How do you weigh one life against another?

The race is coming to an end, and Tella is running out of time, resources, and strength. At the beginning of the race there were one hundred twenty-two Contenders. As Tella and her remaining friends start the fourth and final part of the race, just forty-one are left . . . and only one can win.

Wow! What a thrill ride! I loved this book as much as the first one! There are new obstacles that the contenders face and the action/thrills keeps coming. I didn't know that it was possible but there is even more action in this one than the last book. 

Tella was a lot stronger in this book which I loved but I couldn't understand why the author felt the need to keep telling us how different she was when the character's actions showed us throughout the entire book. I got so frustrated with the amount of times that Tella kept having inner dialogues about how she was tough now compared to when she was planning on wearing a sparkly dress for this or that or how new jeans used to be all she cared about. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH! It made it seem as if the author didn't trust readers to be smart enough to pick up on the fact that Tella was stronger so it was thrown in our faces time and again. 

I know that it may sound as if I didn't like this book when it reality it was really good! I loved reading about the new challenges the contenders were forced to face as well as the new skills that we found out about the pandoras. The relationships between the characters grew and changed in interesting ways as well. Overall, this book is just as good if not slightly better than the first book.

Victoria Scott has said that she is unsure whether this will be the last book in the series and I will be so upset if it is. So may things are left unanswered at the end of the book. I have to know what happens to the characters after Brimstone Bleed concluded.

Killer Instinct (The Naturals #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

                                              🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Cassie Hobbes has a gift for profiling people. Her talent has landed her a spot in an elite FBI program for teens with innate crime-solving abilities, and into some harrowing situations. After barely escaping a confrontation with an unbalanced killer obsessed with her mother’s murder, Cassie hopes she and the rest of the team can stick to solving cold cases from a distance.

But when victims of a brutal new serial killer start turning up, the Naturals are pulled into an active case that strikes too close to home: the killer is a perfect copycat of Dean’s incarcerated father—a man he’d do anything to forget. Forced deeper into a murderer’s psyche than ever before, will the Naturals be able to outsmart the enigmatic killer’s brutal mind games before this copycat twists them into his web for good?

I had some apprehension about reading this book with it being a sequel to The Naturals. I was curious if it would end up being like other similar series which are just a bunch of who done its, one after the other with no overarching story line. It seems as if there might be one but there is no solid evidence of that yet.

My theory is that the books will all be connected because each book will bring one of the naturals team's demons of their past to the focus. The first book focused on Cassie and the fact that there was a killer murdering people similar to her mother and in this one Dean is the focus because someone is attempting to replicate his father's MO and signature when murdering victims. I'm assuming the third book will focus on Sloan because it has poker chips on the front cover and she used to be a card shark.

Anyway, it's not that I don't like these books but I wish, like I said, they would have a plot line that carries over. This book did manage to be different from the first one but I was able to figure it out fairly easily. There were a few twists that I found particularly interesting in the story and the author's writing style still manages to grab my attention and ratchet up the tension as the story moves forward in the book. Jennifer Barnes knows how to write a thriller!

I did appreciate how the author didn't just gloss over the events of the first book. It is easy to tell that the characters were and continue to effected by what happened to them in the first book. I'm sure that I will be able to say the same thing for the next novel in the series. 

This book explains a bit more about Dean's background which I loved. I feel that he is the most interesting character and it is probably because he was raised by a serial killer and is not forthcoming about himself. I enjoyed getting to learn more about him and seeing his reactions to the events in the book.

The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles

                                                 🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:
For the perfect love, what would you be willing to lose?

It’s been a shattering year for seventeen-year-old Zoe, who’s still reeling from her father's shockingly sudden death in a caving accident and her neighbors’ mysterious disappearance from their own home. Then on a terrifying sub-zero, blizzardy night in Montana, she and her brother are brutally attacked in a cabin in the woods—only to be rescued by a mysterious bounty hunter they call X.

X is no ordinary bounty hunter. He is from a hell called the Lowlands, sent to claim the soul of Zoe’s evil attacker and others like him. X is forbidden from revealing himself to anyone other than his prey, but he casts aside the Lowlands’ rules for Zoe. As they learn more about their colliding worlds, they begin to question the past, their fate, and their future.
 
I thought that the book had an interesting plot but it wasn't executed as well as I would have liked. The book focused more on Zoe and her whining/angst than the most interesting part of the story which was X , his purpose, and where the Lowlands. I wanted to read more about that because it was what made me want to read the story in the first place. 

The pacing was odd throughout the book as well or maybe it was the characters actions that made the pacing seem off somehow. The characters took actions that didn't make any sense. For example, when someone has violent tendencies you expect them to perform violent actions or when your life has been threatened you don't just forget about that right away. 

I also hated the insta-love! Why would an author have characters express their love for each other when they have known each other for a couple hours. I can understand if two characters are attracted to each other but they shouldn't be saying that they are in love with each other.

I called what was going to happen towards the end of the book from the very beginning. The book was extremely predictable. It was not hard to guess what would happen which made the story boring and hard to pay attention to.

I was able to read about 60-70 percent through the book then I skimmed the rest. I don't usually do this but like I said before I was bored. I was also tired of hearing the two main characters pine for each other even though they had much bigger things to worry about. This book may have been more successful if it was solely a love story rather than adding in the paranormal elements.

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

                                             🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But, it's not a skill that she's ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they've begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie. What Cassie doesn't realize is that there's more at risk than a few unsolved homicides—especially when she's sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms close. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive. Think The Mentalist meets Pretty Little Liars—Jennifer Lynn-Barnes' The Naturals is a gripping psychological thriller with killer appeal, a to-die-for romance, and the bones of a gritty and compelling new series.

I love thrillers and I have been on the lookout for one to read. I found The Naturals on a list on Goodreads, saw that it had a fairly high rating, and thought that the synopsis sounded interesting enough to check it out.
This book reminded me of some of the thrillers that I had read before but it changed things enough to keep things interesting. The author gives us the serial killer's point of view which I love! I love to feel like I've gotten inside of a killer's head and understand what their thought process is when they target their victims. Jennifer Barnes did an excellent job of providing that for the reader.
The characters were interesting and different enough from each other in personality and abilities to keep things intriguing throughout the book. I was intrigued by their abilities and felt that they had a realism to them. There are people out there that truly can read other people so well that it seems like they have a gift. I'm not sure why the author shoved the romance aspect into the story because it didn't need it. I wasn't completely bothered by it but it did feel a bit out of place. 
I didn't expect the serial killer to be who it was until later on in the book. The author was able to surprise me at least somewhat which I can appreciate. Usually, I can guess pretty quickly "who done it" in most books and movies. I enjoy it when an author is able to throw me off the scent.
I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series and I hope that it lives up to this one. If you want to compare this book to others, I would say that it is like The Body Finder and I Hunt Killers both of which are also great books! 

Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott

                                              🌟🌟🌟🌟 🌗 (4 1/2) out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟


Synopsis:

A pulse-pounding thrill ride, where a teen girl and her animal companion must participate in a breathtaking race to save her brother's life--and her own.

Time is slipping away. . . .

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to the middle of nowhere for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying--and she's helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?


I've wanted to read this book for a while. It was added to my to be read pile and I forgot about it until I found it at the library the other day. I have to say that it mostly lived up to the hype that I built up in my head. 

I thought that the idea of animal companions or pandoras was an interesting and unique idea. I can't really say to much about them without giving some things away but each of the contender's pandoras had a special set of skills that made me want to keep reading so that I could find out what else they could do. 

The contenders that we are introduced to in the book were also compelling. They each had different back stories and reasons for entering the race. I was suspicious of pretty much all of them that came into contact with Tella because I didn't feel like any of them were telling her the whole truth. I found myself feeling particularly wary of Guy during the course of the book. I was curious about him much like Tella was and wanted my questions answered before I committed to thinking of him as someone who could be trusted.

However, I found Tella annoying at times.  She could be very shallow and it made her come off weak and useless. I mean, who cares about nail polish or what your hair looks like when your brother is dying and you are fighting to stay alive!?! I found myself hoping that she would change over the course of the book because I knew that I wouldn't want to read the next book in the series if I had to put up with her having the same attitude. It could be possible that I have been spoiled by the other female characters like Katniss and Tris which makes it harder to except characters like Tella. 

There were a lot of layers to the story which I appreciated. It led to many questions that I couldn't automatically figure out the answers to like I can with other books. I love books that can keep me guessing and this one did just that. It was also action packed beginning early on in the story and continuing throughout making for a thrill ride of a book. It reminded me of Hunger Games in the sense that there were people controlling the game and contenders had to deal with not only the elements but also the other contenders.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

                                                🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Synopsis:
It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.

I have heard a lot about this book over the past couple years and even more when the movie came out. I was at the library the other day and thought, why not? I didn't really know much about the book other than it was popular and about a girl that stole books. I was conflicted about what rating I should give this book. I appreciated the subject matter because even though this book is fiction it is important to remember that particular time in history. I feel that the author did a good job of pulling the reader into the time period. 

It was also interesting to have a main character that was not Jewish so that readers could see what was happening through the eyes of a person who was not directly effected by the events that were taking place.  I appreciated seeing how things affected Liesel because I don't think that people understand that the German people were going through trials as well especially if they did not follow Hitler. 

It was interesting to have Death as a narrator and it initially pulled me into the story. I thought, "well this is a different and interesting way to tell a story!". Even with all of this I had a hard time getting through the story. I feel bad saying that I found the story dull but I feel that it didn't really pull me in. The pacing was extremely slow and I found it hard to relate to the main character. I think it is because I was not told a lot about Liesel other than a few things at the beginning and how she felt about certain events that happened. I actually think that I would have preferred more of the story to be about Max, the Jewish man in her basement. He was a far more interesting character with a compelling backstory.  

 

Mind Games by Kiersten White

                                          🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis: 
Fia and Annie are as close as two sisters can be. They look out for each other. Protect each other. And most importantly, they keep each other's secrets, even the most dangerous ones: Annie is blind, but can see visions of the future; Fia was born with flawless intuition—her first impulse is always exactly right.

When the sisters are offered a place at an elite boarding school, Fia realizes that something is wrong . . . but she doesn't grasp just how wrong. The Keane Institute is no ordinary school, and Fia is soon used for everything from picking stocks to planting bombs. If she tries to refuse, they threaten her with Annie's life.

Now Fia's falling in love with a boy who has dark secrets of his own. And with his help, she's ready to fight back. They stole her past. They control her present. But she won't let them take her future.

I think that this book might be misunderstood. There are a lot of books that center around a person at a school/academy/private institution and how that school turns out to be a horrible place where terrible things are done to people or the students are trained to do terrible things. This book might sound like it is one of those books from the synopsis but I have to say that it is better. It is reminiscent of those types of plots but I also believe that it blows them all away! 

Mind Games is the perfect title for this book because it seems like every single character is playing some sort of mind game. I loved it! It felt like a thriller and I love the darkness and psychological games that come with that type of genre. 

The main character, Fia, reminds me a lot of Katniss Everdeen and Black Widow combined. I loved her! She is tortured character but also processes so much strength and love despite what the Keane Institute has forced her to do. I appreciated the fact that the author didn't gloss over or sugarcoat the things that she had to do for the institute or how it changed her as a person. I enjoyed the character of Annie as well but I connected with Fia more. Annie was very naive even though she was the older of the two girls. I did grow to like her more as the book progressed though.

I thought that the plot was interesting and the pacing in the book was spot on. I felt like I was dumped right into the action and it kept coming up until the end of the book. My only issue with the book was that I still have some unanswered questions. I still don't really understand how the institute came to be or what Keane's end game is. I feel like some things could have been explained better regarding the plot but overall I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the next one. 

180 Seconds by Jessica Park

                                            🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Synopsis:
Some people live their entire lives without changing their perspective. For Allison Dennis, all it takes is 180 seconds…

After a life spent bouncing from one foster home to the next, Allison is determined to keep others at arm’s length. Adopted at sixteen, she knows better than to believe in the permanence of anything. But as she begins her third year in college, she finds it increasingly difficult to disappear into the white noise pouring from her earbuds.

One unsuspecting afternoon, Allison is roped into a social experiment just off campus. Suddenly, she finds herself in front of a crowd, forced to interact with a complete stranger for 180 seconds. Neither she, nor Esben Baylor, the dreamy social media star seated opposite her, is prepared for the outcome.

When time is called, the intensity of the experience overwhelms Allison and Esben in a way that unnerves and electrifies them both. With a push from her oldest friend, Allison embarks on a journey to find out if what she and Esben shared is the real thing—and if she can finally trust in herself, in others, and in love.

There are no words!!! I loved everything about this book! Jessica Park is a favorite of mine because she has this ability to write characters that jump off of the page centered around plots that are so refreshingly unique! I definitely have a bit of a book hangover after reading 180 Seconds!
I found it so interesting that the whole story begins with a social experiment and centers around it in some way, shape, or form. It was a refreshing way to tell a story combined with the social media aspect that came with the character of Esben. I love how this particular author uses social media in her books to further plot and help readers further understand the characters. It is easier to understand the type of person that Esben is while reading about his time as a social media star. He was a beautiful character and I loved how he wanted to focus on and encourage postivity in the world. It was wonderful to see a character that was genuinely good and trying to make the world a better place.
I loved all the characters in this book but I have to say that Allison was my favorite character. I related to her on a deep level because I saw commonalities between her and myself. I could understand why she kept those around her at arm's length. She didn't want to get attached only to risk getting hurt when she didn't meet the expectations of others. I saw the beauty in her when she is first introduced in the book and my love for her grew the more I came to know about her as the book progressed. 
The 180 second social experiment that Allison gets roped into in the beginning of the book has got to be my favorite part of the book! I love the progression that happens and the emotions that Esben and Allison each show along with the reactions of each of them in turn.
What an amazing story with so many amazing messages throughout! I devoured the words from start to finish! This is a book that helps you to see that there is good in the world but also trial and sadness. It reminds you that even when you have gone through pain, like the characters in the story you have the strength to get back up and decide what to do moving forward. This book broke my heart and mended it again so many times in the best way. I was devastated when I reached the end because I wanted to read more. I would highly recommend it to anyone!

 

Roommates With Benefits by Nicole Williams

                                       🌟🌟🌟 to 🌟🌟🌟🌗out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:
Soren Decker. He’s the epitome of the “bad boy, good man” persona. The best of both worlds. The worst of them too. He’s the type of guy most girls wouldn’t mind sharing a confined space with, except my new roommate isn’t all swagger and chiseled abs.
He’s bossy. Messy. Cocky. Infuriating. Doesn’t believe in personal space. Has no qualms about roaming the apartment with a loincloth-sized towel cinched around his waist. Seems under the delusion he’s my personal protector (refer back to infuriating). He plays college baseball and holds down a part-time job—I don’t know where he finds the time to get on my nerves.
We have nothing in common . . . except our attraction to one another. And in six hundred square feet of shared space, the tension only has so much room to grow before one of us gives in to temptation. But really, what chance do a couple of young kids chasing their dreams in the big city have of making it?
Since Soren claims I know squat about sports (he might have a semi-point), here’s a stat for him—one in a million. That’s our odds.

I was worried about reading this book because of the title. I thought that it might end up being a smut fest with hardly any plot. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised! The story focused more on the growth in the relationship between Soren and Hayden from roommates to something more.

I loved Soren! He was supportive, sexy, and respectful. I love books that have a love interest that is a genuinely good guy rather than the tortured bad boy. I feel like a lot of books out there focus more on the bad boy so this book was refreshingly different. Soren had an edge to him but it was due to his masculinity and sex appeal rather than him having sex with anything with female anatomy or breaking the law. I kind of wish that I could have heard his point of view in the book. I think that it would have made for an even more interesting story.

I had a bit more trouble understanding and liking Hayden. She was sweet and determined but
I feel like she gave more and worked harder when it came to relationships in her life that were toxic rather than giving more effort in relationships that had more meaning. Speaking of toxic relationships...Soren warns her about it and she keeps making excuses for the person. I had a hard time believing that she couldn't see that that particular person was a skuz bag. It was written all over them. Soren only needed to hear a description of the person and he could see it. There were other ways in which she was naive and it just seemed ridiculous that she didn't understand the way that things are in a big city. It seemed like common sense to me. 

Another thing that I appreciated about this book was that both of the characters were good, clean cut individuals. It seems that too often there are books where the female lead is "innocent" and the male character is not. I loved that Nicole Williams wrote characters that were both this way. It added an interesting element to the story that I feel other books out there don't have.

Overall, I felt that the book was refreshing and if you are looking for a book that is written well and a bit different then you should read it!

Nicole Williams is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of contemporary and young adult romance, including the Crash and Lost & Found series. Her books have been published by HarperTeen and Simon & Schuster in both domestic and foreign markets, while she continues to self-publish additional titles. She is working on a new YA series with Crown Books (a division of Random House) as well. She loves romance, from the sweet to the steamy, and writes stories about characters in search of their happily even after. She grew up surrounded by books and plans on writing until the day she dies, even if it’s just for her own personal enjoyment. She still buys paperbacks because she’s all nostalgic like that, but her kindle never goes neglected for too long. When not writing, she spends her time with her husband and daughter, and whatever time’s left over she’s forced to fit too many hobbies into too little time.

Nicole is represented by Jane Dystel, of Dystel and Goderich Literary Agency.

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Low Over High by J. A. DeRouen

                                               🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Synopsis:
I fancy myself a purveyor of truth, a sifter of lies, a cutter of bullshit. It’s not a gift, but rather, all skill, honed to a razor’s edge after one too many trips down the rabbit hole.

Some may dismiss my talent as misplaced and misguided cynicism, but they’d be wrong. Cliches about hope and faith in mankind are concocted unicorn farts, an effort to keep the dreamers dreaming. Experiences don’t lie—people do.

While I’m not proud of the circumstances that led me to this way of thinking, I respect the journey. The road to enlightenment can be dark and foreboding, but the destination makes it all worthwhile.

But funny thing about the past—it’s a defiant child refusing to stay in time out. No matter how deeply buried, it can always pop up when least expected, and sink its fucking claws into the flesh of your heart. No, not my heart—I no longer have one. I foolishly gave it away years ago, but I still feel the ripping in my chest as I fist the crumpled note left on my porch.

I’ve avoided this day, ran from it, for the past eight years.
And still we meet again.

But to truly understand … to feel my dread and fear my future as I do, it’s important to know what happened in my past.

Or who…

My name is Marlo Rivers, and this is my story of corrupted love.

The synopsis of Low Over High really caught my attention. I wanted to know more about this character who called herself a sifter of lies. I feel like the synopsis didn't exactly fit with what I learned about the character throughout the story. Although I feel that the prologue and synopsis of the book are showing the reader what Low becomes after everything that takes place in the book.

I loved the banter between Low and Ever! It made me laugh and made me interested in what either of them would say next. They had an interesting relationship that started out rocky but became more as the story progressed.  I thought that their relationship was beautiful albeit flawed. It seemed like Ever had a foot out the door the whole time. 

I feel that the characters made some bad decisions in order to cope with what they were dealing with that led them down even worse paths. I'm not saying that they deserved what happened to them but I didn't understand why they didn't follow their gut feeling about a certain character in the story that they were friends with. 

This was a really good book and my second book from J. A. DeRouen. She writes in such a way that you are transported into the story and have to keep reading to know what happens to the characters that she has made you care about. I would highly recommend this book!