Book Review: Unbreak My Heart by Melissa C. Walker

Title: Unbreak My Heart by Melissa C. Walker
Series: Stand-Alone
Released: May 22, 2012 by Bloomsbury
Source: Library E-Book
Genre: YA Contemporary
Rating: 4/5

Summary from Goodreads:

Sophomore year broke Clementine Williams' heart. She fell for her best friend's boyfriend and long story short: he's excused, but Clem is vilified and she heads into summer with zero social life. Enter her parents' plan to spend the summer on their sailboat. Normally the idea of being stuck on a tiny boat with her parents and little sister would make Clem break out in hives, but floating away sounds pretty good right now. Then she meets James at one of their first stops along the river. He and his dad are sailing for the summer and he's just the distraction Clem needs. Can he break down Clem's walls and heal her broken heart?

I absolutely love well-written, non-cheesy YA contemporaries and Unbreak My Heart did not disappoint. This was definitely a summer read, I mean the majority of the whole thing takes place on a sailboat during Clementine's summer break. Honestly, it made me so nostalgic of vacations with my own family when I was that age. This story was sweet and cute and perfect for poolside reading.

I fell so in love with Clementine's family! My favorite YA novels are the ones where the family is one I'd actually want to be apart of. And, IMHO, those are a little too rare these days. And the love interest-James, how cute was James?

The story was told in pieces. We don't immediately find out exactly what happened between Clem and her BFF before the vacation. We find out a little and then a little more here and there throughout. We also don't find out James whole story either. This whole set-up makes for a VERY quick read. It was one of those "one more chapter... uh one more..." kind of things because you just want to keep finding out more information. Then before you know it your finished.

I definitely recommend for fans of YA, summertime, sweet comtemps.

Warning: this book WILL make you crave a summer sailing trip with a group of freakin' awesome people AND reminisce about summer loves.

Bout of Books 8.0: GOALS

Since I'm starting back to nursing school in the middle of this read-a-thon and since I read a total of ONE book during last semester my goal of three books for this is actually going to be really good for me. I'll be really proud of myself if I get through three books in a week with my current reading habits being so poor.

That being said, the books I'd definitely like to get through are:

• The Redemption of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen
• The Forever of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen
• Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

and if I manage to get through all of those I want to start:

• Tatiana and Alexander by Paullina Simon

and I'm not letting myself read Tatiana and Alexander until I finish the other three no matter what. That makes a huge extra incentive to read them quickly. I CAN'T WAIT consider The Bronze Horseman was beyond epic!

Monday

Book: The Island by Victoria Hislop // Pages: 68
Book: The Redemption of Callie and Kayden // Pages: 55

Total Pages Read: 123
Participated in two challenges!

Tuesday

Book: The Redemption of Callie and Kayden // Pages: 186 - Finished!

Total Pages Read: 186
Total Books Finished: 1

Wednesday:
Book: The Island by Victoria Hislop // Pages: 42
Book: Hopeless // Pages: 20
Total Pages Read: 68

Thursday:
8 hours of class directly followed by 8 hours of work. No time to read. :(

Friday:
School is already kicking my butt more than I thought it would! I read but in my snatches of free moments but didn't keep track.

Saturday:
^Same as Friday. ^ Blah. Kind of a fail.

Sunday:
I'm on page 92 of Hopeless which means I read 72 pages of it since Wednesday.

So during this week I have read a total of 443 pages and finished 1 book. Which is still better than no books!

Bout of Books 8.0

I am super excited to be participating in my very first Bout of Books Read-a-thon! I have a gigantic to-read this made up of books I can't wait to get to. Hopefully, this will be a good opportunity to make a small dent in that list.

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Release Day Review: Starting Now by Debbie Macomber

Title: Starting Now by Debbie Macomber
Series: Blossom Street #9
Finished on: February 27, 2013
Released:  April 2, 2013
Source: ARC from LibraryThing Early Reviewers
Rating: 4/5

Summary from Goodreads:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber returns to Seattle’s beloved Blossom Street in this heartfelt tale of friendship, renewal, and discovering what’s truly important in life.

For years Libby Morgan dreamed only of making partner in her competitive, high-pressure law firm. She sacrificed everything for her career—her friends, her marriage, her chance at creating a family. When her boss calls Libby into his office, she assumes it will finally be good news, but nothing can prepare her for the shocking reality: She’s been let go and must rebuild her entire life . . . starting now.

With no job prospects in sight, Libby reaches out to old friends and spends her afternoons at A Good Yarn, the local knitting store. There she forms a close bond with Lydia, the sweet-natured shop owner; Lydia’s spirited teenage daughter, Casey; and Casey’s best friend, Ava, a shy yet troubled girl who will shape Libby’s future in surprising and profound ways.

As A Good Yarn becomes a second home—and the women a new kind of family—Libby relishes the different person she’s become. She even finds time for romance with a charming and handsome doctor who seems to be her perfect match. But just as everything is coming together, Libby must make a choice that could forever change the life she holds so dear.

Warmly told and richly textured, Starting Now is filled with the promise of new beginnings and the unending delights of companionship and love.

I've read quite a few novels by Debbie Macomber and I'm definitely a fan. In fact, I'd like to one day say that I've read all of her books. Starting Now, however, was my first trip to Blossom Street and lets just say that I was not disappointed.

This may be the ninth book in the Blossom Street series but having not read the previous stories did not effect my perception of this one at all. Prior knowledge of the previous books didn't seem to be a huge deal in understanding Starting Now. I did, however, enjoy this one enough that I'll be going back to check out the earlier installments. (:

In true Debbie Macomber fashion we get some wonderful characters. I wouldn't have expected anything less. We get an extremely hard-working and dedicated lawyer, Libby, who is all but obsessed with her job. Out of the blue one day, she finds herself laid off. Her bosses final advice to her is to "get a life". Starting Now is Libby's journey to finding a more fulfilling life and true friendships.  All of the lovely characters we meet as Libby meets them and builds relationships with them. We also get a small secondary story of a young girl, Ava, which I wasn't expecting but worked really well in adding some more depth to the novel. I won't say too much because I don't want to spoil anything!

Throughout the story Libby learns a lot of really valuable lessons about cherishing your friends and valuing things outside of work. Anyone, especially in the era, can take a lot away from this book and apply these lessons to their own lives.  I love Debbie Macomber's way of getting a read to take a closer look at their own lives without becoming preachy. Oh, and of course, the usual sweet and feel-good romance is there as well. Can't forget that!

*An ARC was providing to be in exchange for an honest review only.

Cover Reveal + Book Trailer: Tragic by J.A. Huss

Tragic by J.A. Huss
Publication date:  May 20th 2013
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Rook Walsh is TRAGIC

Because life so far – just sucks.  Some girls get parents.  Rook got the foster care system.  Some girls get Prince Charming.  Rook got an abusive frog.  Some girls get lucky…

Rook got a second chance.

And she took it.  Because when fate throws you a bone – you grab it with both hands and run.

Antoine Chaput knows the minute he spies Rook in his photography studio that she’s got The Look.  The dark and desperate look he must have to land the exclusive TRAGIC media contract.

Rook is paired up with top model, Ronin, and he’s everything her abusive ex-boyfriend wasn’t. Patient, gentle, happy, attentive, and sexy!  He knows exactly what to do to make Rook blush for Antoine’s portfolio.

Rook’s luck changes in an instant and suddenly she’s the darling of the modeling world.  It’s a dream job to go with a dream guy and all she has to do is look pretty and follow directions. But there’s always a price to pay – and Rook is about to get the bill.

TRAGIC is a new adult contemporary romance.

  

Trailer:

AUTHOR BIO

J. A. Huss likes to write new adult books that make you think and keep you guessing. Her favorite genre to read is space opera, but since practically no one reads those books, she writes new adult science fiction, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, urban fantasy, and books about Junco (who refuses to be saddled with a label).

She has an undergraduate degree in horses, (yes, really–Thank you, Colorado State University) and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology from the University of Florida. She used to have a job driving around Colorado doing pretty much nothing but shooting the breeze with farmers, but now she just writes, runs the New Adult Addiction and Clean Teen Reads Book Blogs, and runs an online science classroom for homeschoolers.

Author links:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Book Review: The Vincent Brother by Abbi Glines

Title: The Vincent Brothers by Abbi Glines
Series: The Vincent Boys #2
Finished on: March 21, 2013
Released: June 2012
Source: Nook Book
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary from Goodreads:

Getting a boy to fall head-over-heels in love with you isn’t easy. Especially when he’s been in love with your cousin for as long as you can remember.

Lana has lived her life in her cousin’s shadow. Ashton always made perfect grades, had tons of friends, and looks model-perfect. And she’s always had Sawyer Vincent—the only boy Lana’s ever wanted—wrapped around her finger. But now things are different. Lana has a chance to make Sawyer see her, and she’s taking it. If only he’d get over Ashton—because Lana is sick of second-best.

Sawyer’s heart is broken. He’s lost his best girl to his best friend. And then Lana comes to town. Ashton’s cousin has always been sweet and soft-spoken, but now she’s drop-dead gorgeous as well. Sawyer doesn’t know if Lana can heal his broken heart, but spending time with her might at least make Ashton jealous.

What starts as a carefree fling becomes a lusty game of seduction. Sawyer and Lana may have different motives, but their scintillating hookups are the same kind of steamy. . . .

What a great follow-up to The Vincent Boys. I will admit that I'm considering skipping every other book I've planned to read just to read through all of Abbi Glines'.

This one picks up right where the last one left off. Sawyer is broken and bitter over losing Ashton and can barely stand watching her with Beau. Sawyer would absolutely love to win Ashton back some how. On the other end of the spectrum we have Lana, Ashton's cousin, who has been in love with Sawyer for as long as she can remember. She'd do anything to make Sawyer fall for her and she plans to do just that by staying in Grove for the entire summer.

Honestly, I enjoyed Ashton's and Beau's story a bit more. I connected with them and felt the genuineness of the relationship more. They grew up together and brought out each others true personalities. With Sawyer and Lana it felt so rushed. Sawyer never gave Lana a second thought growing up but now that she changed her clothes and hair he's ready to jump all over her as first sight. Ashton and Beau were so romantic and cute. Sawyer and Lana were jut very lusty.

This story is jam-packed with conflicts making it a very entertaining and quick read. While I didn't get a "true love" vibe, it was still a fun journey to watch and the ending actually really surprised me. I didn't think something quite like that would happen. The Vincent Brothers is a book you can sit down and read in just a few hours but still feel satisfied at the end. Abbi Glines definitely has a way of writing a great story.

Top Ten Tuesday [12]

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Books I HAD To Buy...But Are Still Sitting On My Shelf Unread

Graceling by Kristen Cashore

Fallen Too Far by Abbie Glines

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

Down to You by M. Leighton

Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl

The Truth About Faking by Leigh Talbert Moore
Brightest Kind of Darkness by P.T. Michelle
Eternal Eden by Nicole Williams