ARC Review: Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams

Publisher: SimonPulse
Publishing Date: July 14th, 2015
Genre: YA Suspense
Pages: 256 pgs
ISBN: 9781481422628
Source: Received from Simon & Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review



Summary from Goodreads:

A spine-tingling debut about the ultimate game of cat-and-mouse in reverse as a teen struggles to retain hope—and her sanity—while on the run from a cunning and determined killer.

Ruth Carver has always competed like her life depends on it. Ambitious. Tough. Maybe even mean. It’s no wonder people call her Ruthless.

When she wakes up with a concussion in the bed of a moving pickup trick, she realizes she has been entered into a contest she can’t afford to lose.

At a remote, rotting cabin deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Ruth’s blindfold comes off and she comes face-to-face with her captor. A man who believes his mission is to punish bad girls like Ruth. A man who has done this six times before.

The other girls were never heard from again, but Ruth won’t go down easy. She escapes into the wilderness, but her hunter is close at her heels. That’s when the real battle begins. That’s when Ruth must decides just how far she’ll go in order to survive.

Back home, they called her Ruthless. They had no idea just how right they were.

My Review:

It's been a long time since a book kept me up all night long and this one did it. I am very happy to be off for the summer because I think I went to bed at 4am after finishing this story. This book is about a young girl who is kidnapped by a sexual predator. She escapes and is hunted through the woods by the killer. It's not often that you can find a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I found myself at times with an elevated heart rate and actually worried for the protagonist Ruth. She's not a particularly likable character at times but this girl is kickass. She is determined not to be raped and to escape from this madmen.
While this book had some moments where I had to raise an eyebrow, I still really liked it. Ruth goes through so much in this book and it was quite amazing that she was still able to keep her drive to survive throughout it all. There were sections in the book with flashbacks to Ruth's life with I liked because you got a little more insight into her personality outside of an emergency situation. There were also flashbacks in the point of view of the killer. In one set of flashbacks it goes all the way back to when he was young. I could do without these flashbacks. For some reason, they weren't working for me. I know they were meant to show how he became the way he was but they were put in spots when all I wanted to know is what was happening with Ruth. Another set of flashbacks were the lead up to the abduction of Ruth. I liked these ones better because I got to see another glimpse of Ruth's home life.
If you like thrillers and you like being in suspense then this is the book for you. I promise you it will not take you long to get through this one.

ARC Review: 99 Days by Katie Cotugno

Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Publishing Date: April 21st, 2015
Genre: YA Contemporary
Pages: 384 pgs
ISBN: 9780062216380
Source: Received from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review



Summary from Goodreads:

Day 1: Julia Donnelly eggs my house my first night back in Star Lake, and that’s how I know everyone still remembers everything—how I destroyed my relationship with Patrick the night everything happened with his brother, Gabe. How I wrecked their whole family. Now I’m serving out my summer like a jail sentence: Just ninety-nine days till I can leave for college, and be done.

Day 4: A nasty note on my windshield makes it clear Julia isn’t finished. I’m expecting a fight when someone taps me on the shoulder, but it’s just Gabe, home from college and actually happy to see me. “For what it’s worth, Molly Barlow,” he says, “I’m really glad you’re back.”

Day 12: Gabe got me to come to this party, and I’m actually having fun. I think he’s about to kiss me—and that’s when I see Patrick. My Patrick, who’s supposed to be clear across the country. My Patrick, who’s never going to forgive me.

My Review:

This book begins after something major has happened in Molly's life. She was dating Patrick and she cheated on him with his brother Gabe. This has made her a social pariah and Molly, returning to her hometown, is trying to get by until she leaves for college. She only has to make it through 99 days before she can reinvent herself somewhere new.

The cheating storyline can be quite polarizing. Many people have a difficult time relating to a cheater and if you have ever been cheated on then it could make you really dislike the main character of this story. I will admit something that I am not proud of. I have been on both sides of cheating. It is not something I'm happy to admit and it's not something I admit to many people. That being said, I woudln't consider myself an immoral person. I care deeply about the people in my life but I am also human and I make mistakes. I think for this reason I could relate to Molly in a way but I could also relate to Patrick and Gabe at the same time. I really liked watching  Molly come to terms with what she did and the aftermath of it. She seemed somewhat stoic about that whole thing. She knew what she did wasn't great and in the beginning she wasn't trying to push it.

**** SPOILER ALERT*****

I have to admit that the back and forth between Patrick and Gabe later on became slightly frustrating. She was making the same mistakes over again. You can tell that she was trying to figure out which brother was meant for her but I think that she needed to be upfront with both of them. At times I felt like she was leading them on.

*****END SPOILER*****

Overall, I really liked this book. I think that it shows us that cheating is not just black or white. If you are one those people who can't read a book because there is cheating in it then I encourage you to try this book and read it with an open mind. The writing is good and the story is thought provoking. I will be reading the next Cotugno book for sure.

ARC Review: None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio

Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Publishing Date: April 7th, 2015
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 352 pgs
ISBN: 9780062335319
Source: Received from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review



Summary from Goodreads:

A groundbreaking story about a teenage girl who discovers she was born intersex... and what happens when her secret is revealed to the entire school. Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None of the Above is a thought-provoking novel that explores what it means to be a boy, a girl, or something in between.

What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant?

When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She's a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she's madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she's decided that she's ready to take things to the next level with him.

But Kristin's first time isn't the perfect moment she's planned—something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy "parts."

Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin's entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?

My Review:

I LOVED THIS BOOK! This is a story about Kristin who has been brought up as a girl and identifies as a girl. The night she loses her virginity she realizes something is not quite right and visits the doctor. It is there that she finds out that she is intersex. Essentially what this means is that physically she presents as a girl but she also has male chromosomes and testes.
I love how this book explores a topic that is not often discussed. While this condition is not a super common one, there are people out there living as intersex. I think Gregorio does an excellent job of raising questions of gender norms. How would you define what a girl is and what a boy is? Is it defined by how someone looks or how they dress? Who determines what you identify as? In many cases the parents or doctors make these decisions while the child is very young. It makes you wonder if this is the right thing.
This book was well written and you can't help but feel invested in what happens to Kristin. I found myself getting upset with some of the characters. I think it's horrendous the way people treat others that don't fit into the "norm" especially in high school. The author does a great job of depicting the struggle to fit in but at the same time trying to understand yourself.
I think this novel was wonderfully written and tackles a subject that can be sensitive in a respectful and realistic way. I can't recommend this book enough. Please go out and buy it as soon as you can.

ARC Review: Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke by Anne Blankman

Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Publishing Date: April 1st, 2015
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction
Pages: 406 pgs
ISBN: 9780062278845
Source: Received from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review



Summary from Goodreads:

The girl known as Gretchen Whitestone has a secret: She used to be part of Adolf Hitler’s inner circle. More than a year after she made an enemy of her old family friend and fled Munich, she lives with a kindly English family, posing as an ordinary German immigrant, and is preparing to graduate from high school. Her love, Daniel Cohen, is a reporter in town. For the first time in her life, Gretchen is content.

But then, Daniel gets a telegram that sends him back to Germany, and Gretchen’s world turns upside-down. And when she receives word that Daniel is wanted for murder, she has to face the danger she thought she’d escaped-and return to her homeland.

Gretchen must do everything she can to avoid capture and recognition, even though saving Daniel will mean consorting with her former friends, the Nazi elite. And as they work to clear Daniel’s name, Gretchen and Daniel discover a deadly conspiracy stretching from the slums of Berlin to the Reichstag itself. Can they dig up the explosive truth and get out in time-or will Hitler discover them first?

My Review:

This is the second in a series and I was excited to get this book on Edelweiss. I really enjoyed the idea of the first one and I found that I really wanted to know more about Gretchen and Daniel. This book picks up soon after the first and Gretchen and Daniel have fled Germany. They are getting settled into their new lives when Daniel gets news that his cousin has been very badly injured. Daniel decides to head back to tension filled Germany. As you can suspect Daniel doesn't come back and Gretchen goes back into Germany to save him. This is during the lead up to WWII and the the fact that Daniel is Jewish does not bode well for him nor for his girlfriend Gretchen.

I have to admit that while I was really looking forward to reading this book, it didn't live up to it's expectations for me. The story wasn't bad but it wasn't amazing. I really like the concept of focusing on someone who used to be so close to Adolph Hitler. We don't ever think of Hitler with a human element. I think that adding this element makes what he did so much worse. It baffles me how atrocities like the Holocaust occur. I think while the concept was strong, I wasn't invested in the characters as much. I had to wonder if what they were doing was brave or slightly stupid. I suppose that knowing the outcome of the war, it makes it easy for me to say they were being naive. The two were idealistic in believing they could change everything.

This is not to say that I didn't like the book. It was entertaining and I read it quickly. I wanted to know what happens next but didn't find myself loving it. Overall I would say it was a solid 3 stars. Those who like a historical fiction will enjoy this story.

WoW: The Sunrise

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and it is a weekly feature where bloggers share what they are excited to read next. 

Here is my pick for the week:

Summary from Goodreads

In the summer of 1972, Famagusta in Cyprus is the most desirable resort in the Mediterranean, a city bathed in the glow of good fortune. An ambitious couple are about to open the island's most spectacular hotel, where Greek and Turkish Cypriots work in harmony. Two neighbouring families, the Georgious and the Özkans, are among many who moved to Famagusta to escape the years of unrest and ethnic violence elsewhere on the island. But beneath the city's façade of glamour and success, tension is building.
 When a Greek coup plunges the island into chaos, Cyprus faces a disastrous conflict. Turkey invades to protect the Turkish Cypriot minority, and Famagusta is shelled. Forty thousand people seize their most precious possessions and flee from the advancing soldiers. In the deserted city, just two families remain. This is their story.

I read Hislop's book The Island and it was very well written. I haven't read anything else by this author but when I saw that she had a new book coming out I got a little excited about it. This one comes out on July 7th from Headline Review.  What are you waiting on? Happy Reading!

WoW: Karin Slaughter's newest

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and it is a weekly feature where bloggers share what they are excited to read next. 

Here is my pick for the week:

Summary from Goodreads:

#1 internationally bestselling author Karin Slaughter returns with a sophisticated and chilling psychological thriller of dangerous secrets, cold vengeance, and unexpected absolution, in which two estranged sisters must come together to find truth about two harrowing tragedies, twenty years apart, that devastate their lives. Sisters. Strangers. Survivors. More than twenty years ago, Claire and Lydia's teenaged sister Julia vanished without a trace. The two women have not spoken since, and now their lives could not be more different. Claire is the glamorous trophy wife of an Atlanta millionaire. Lydia, a single mother, dates an ex-con and struggles to make ends meet. But neither has recovered from the horror and heartbreak of their shared loss—a devastating wound that's cruelly ripped open when Claire's husband is killed. The disappearance of a teenage girl and the murder of a middle-aged man, almost a quarter-century apart: what could connect them? Forming a wary truce, the surviving sisters look to the past to find the truth, unearthing the secrets that destroyed their family all those years ago . . . and uncovering the possibility of redemption, and revenge, where they least expect it. Powerful, poignant, and utterly gripping, packed with indelible characters and unforgettable twists, Pretty Girls is a masterful thriller from one of the finest suspense writers working today.

I love a good mystery and I really enjoy Karin Slaughter's writing. Can't wait to read this one. It's out on June 30th from William  Morrow. Happy Reading!

ARC Review: Skyscraping by Cordelia Jensen

Publisher: Philomel Books
Publishing Date: June 2nd, 2015
Genre: YA Contemporary
Pages: 352 pgs
ISBN: 9780399167713

Source: Received from the publisher for an honest review



Summary from Goodreads:

A heartrending, bold novel in verse about family, identity, and forgiveness Mira is just beginning her senior year of high school when she discovers her father with his male lover. Her world–and everything she thought she knew about her family–is shattered instantly. Unable to comprehend the lies, betrayal, and secrets that–unbeknownst to Mira–have come to define and keep intact her family’s existence, Mira distances herself from her sister and closest friends as a means of coping. But her father’s sexual orientation isn’t all he's kept hidden. A shocking health scare brings to light his battle with HIV. As Mira struggles to make sense of the many fractures in her family's fabric and redefine her wavering sense of self, she must find a way to reconnect with her dad–while there is still time.
Told in raw, exposed free verse, Skyscraping reminds us that there is no one way to be a family.

My Review:

This is a book told in verse about a girl who walks in on her father having an affair with another man. She is very upset about this but she is more upset about the fact that her mother has known for a long time and has also known that he is HIV positive. 
I will start by saying that anything that has LGBTQ characters or "issues" is something that I will always want to read. I think it's mostly because I can't fathom why people would be treated as subpar based on their sexual orientation. When Vikki sent out her e-mail with ARCs and saw the synopsis for this book I knew I had to have it. Then I realized it was a book in verse. I know people are divided on verse books but I for one love them. I think that I lot can be put into minimal amounts of words. I think they are often powerful because every single word matters. 
This book was what I expected and more. I expected to be pulled into family turmoil and teenage angst. I also expected to be touched and to watch relationships develop. I didn't expect to be sobbing on my couch. I just felt for the main character and I wanted the best for her. I zoomed through this book and finished it the same day I started it. I wanted to know more and couldn't put it down. The writing is tremendous and I was in awe of how Jensen was able to convey what she needed to in the way that she did. 
I would say if you like contemporaries you should definitely read this. Even if you're unsure of verse books you should give this one a try. I also think this is an important book because you don't often get to read novels about HIV and it's epidemic in the 1990s. I am pretty sure at this point I am rambling away but writing reviews for books you really enjoyed are the most difficult things to do. I will sign off by saying go buy this one!