Review: The Ivy by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur

Synopsis free review, since the review is long. :)

Book Details:

Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Pub Date: August 31, 2010
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 320

My Review:

The Ivy has to be one of my most favorite debut books of this year. It is a story about a girl, named Callie, who is starting her freshman year at Harvard. Callie leaves California behind and with it her parents, best friend Jessica, and longtime boyfriend Evan.

At Harvard we meet Callie's roommates. Each of of her three roommates have their own distinct personality. First there is Mimi who is from Europe. She is a true party girl, but is a good friend. Vanessa is the fashionista in the group. Out of all the roommates Callie and Vanessa have times where they get mad at each other. Will their fights lead Vanessa to make a decision she will later regret? Last but not least there is Dana. She is all about staying pure and clean. Even though she was the most different character I wish Lauren and Rina put more scenes with her in there.

Then there are the boys that live across the hallway from the girls. We first meet Gregory, who is a jokester and takes nothing seriously. But later on we find out that he really does have a caring bone in his body, Then there is sweet and nerdy Matt. Matt becomes good friends with Callie and develops a crush on her. OK, who is a prince is a big and nice guy. He has a crush on Mimi. The last of the roommates is Adam. He spends most of the time with Dana. Then there is the good-looking upperclassman Clint. There one important thing that goes with him, his very popular ex-girlfriend. Who just so happens to be the queen bee of Harvard and can either make you or break you.

I was hooked from page one! The Ivy had me completely captivated. I was dying to know what Callie and Evan did that was so freak-out worthy (although I had an idea of what it was and was right). Who was Callie going to end up dating? Was her and Evan's secret going to get out? Would it ruin her and her chances of getting into a secret society?

Many people found that the lack of parents present in Callie's life was wrong. For me I found it a relief. Parents in books are made out to be the same. So with parents out of the way we get to focus on the main drama of Callie's freshman year.

The Ivy is a good look at how college is like and how students deal with college life. The back of the ARC gave very little info on the book so I had no idea what I was getting into. Turns out that was a good thing, because I loved the surprises. I found myself laughing, cringing, shaking my head with disapproval, excitement, and giddy. This book is a must read. I absolutely cannot wait for book two!!!

5 Stars!

Some more awesome giveaways!

The Publication Follies of Alexandra Shostak is giving followers a chance to win either Matched by Ally Condie or Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Ends 8/30!
Link: http://alexandrashostak.blogspot.com/2010/08/win-copy-of-matched-or-beautiful.html


Also, Babbling Flow has extended her ARC Giveaway of 7 amazing books to 8/11! So hurry up and enter 8/11 is just around the corner!
Link: http://babblingflow.blogspot.com/2010/08/arc-contest-update-extra-entries.html#comments

Review: The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

Synopsis (from GoodReads.com):

What if love refused to die?

Haven Moore can’t control her visions of a past with a boy called Ethan, and a life in New York that ended in fiery tragedy. In our present, she designs beautiful dresses for her classmates with her best friend Beau. Dressmaking keeps her sane, since she lives with her widowed and heartbroken mother in her tyrannical grandmother’s house in Snope City, a tiny town in Tennessee. Then an impossible group of coincidences conspire to force her to flee to New York, to discover who she is, and who she was.

In New York, Haven meets Iain Morrow and is swept into an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Iain is suspected of murdering a rock star and Haven wonders, could he have murdered her in a past life? She visits the Ouroboros Society and discovers a murky world of reincarnation that stretches across millennia. Haven must discover the secrets hidden in her past lives, and loves¸ before all is lost and the cycle begins again.

Book Details:

Publisher: Razorbill
Pub Date: August 10, 2010
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 416

My Review:

I must admit when I first saw the cover of this book I knew I had to read it. The cover is simple and intriguing. You'll love the cover even more when you see it in person.

Ok, now to my review. Ever since Haven, the MC, was a little girl she has always talked about a boy named Ethan. Even now as a teenager she has visions of him. Haven's grandmother is convinced she is possessed by a demon and makes Haven stay home instead of going to college in the near future. With the help from her best friend Beau, Haven manages to run off to NY to search for Ethan. The plot doesn't really start until page 160.

In NYC she meets Iain Morrow and instantly there is a connection. This sets off a series of the past repeating itself in a way. The Eternal Ones is a mysterious and thrilling novel. You get to meet a wide variety of characters and you don't know who to trust right alongside Haven. Haven soon discovers her family's secrets as well as secrets from her past life as Constance. Many people has complained about there not being a concrete love story but I have to disagree. I found Haven and Iain's, or should I say Ethan and Contance, relationship refreshing and new. I liked how you want to root for Ethan, but don't know whether he is a bad guy or not.

I must warn you that the beginning is very confusing. As you read along it gets a little less confusing so hang in there! Also, I still have a question for the author: When Iain is talking about the past is it as himself or is he like possessed by Ethan?

The Eternal Ones is a new kind of eternal romance, mystery novel. I highly recommend you buy it now!

5 Stars!

In My Mailbox (9)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren and is a weekly meme where bloggers show what they received that week. This week I got:





For Review: Past Midnight by Mara Purnhagen (Mara, thank you so much!)

This week I was beginning to think no books were coming my way and then surprisingly Mara's book was in my mailbox Friday! Then when I got back inside the house and quickly opened the package I got another surprise! Mara put a Past Midnight bookmark in the book and she signed it! Mara you are truly amazing with the surprises! I can't wait to read Past Midnight!



Not pictured:
The Clearing by Heather Davis

Giveaways Around the Blogosphere

Today there has been a lot of great giveaways announced from really great bloggers. :)

Beautiful Moon Giveaway is over at the Page Turners Blog. I really like the name of this giveaway, isn't it clever? Beautiful Darkness and Low Red Moon are up for grabs here. Deadline is August 24! Here is the link: http://www.thecompulsivereader.com/2010/08/cool-new-program-for-college-students.html

The Reading Addict is giving away a copy of Immortal by Gillian Sheilds. Deadline is August 20! Here is the link: http://addicted2reading4evr.blogspot.com/2010/08/us-giveaway-immortal-by-gillian-shields.html

Confessions of a Bookaholic is giving away two Signed Copies of Echoes by Melinda Metz. Deadline is August 31! Link:
http://totalbookaholic.blogspot.com/2010/08/echoes-by-melinda-metz-giveaway.html

Good Luck To Everyone!

One more thing there is a huge 7 ARC giveaway over at Babbling Flow. Here is the link Giveaway Ends tomorrow!
http://babblingflow.blogspot.com/2010/07/summer-saradise-7-arc-giveaway.html

Review: Forget You by Jennifer Echols

Synopsis (From bn.com):

WHY CAN’T YOU CHOOSE WHAT YOU FORGET . . . AND WHAT YOU REMEMBER? There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four- year old girlfriend. Like Zoey’s fear that the whole town will find out about her mom’s nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. Feeling like her life is about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she’s the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon. But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there’s one thing she can’t remember at all—the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug—of all people— suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them? Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her. Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all-important details of her life—a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug.

Book Details:

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pub. Date: July 2010

Format: Paperback

Pages: 292

My Review:

Where to even start on this review? Forget You is my first read by Jennifer Echols. I have to add that I didn't even know what the term "Parking" was until I read this book. Anyways it is a story about a girl, named Zoey, and she gets in a car accident and can't remember anything about the night of the crash. Her only memory is of Doug, the so-called misunderstood bad boy, pulling her out of her car.

Zoey is afraid to admit to everyone that she has no memory of that night because she thinks she will end up like her mom. So she starts hanging out with Doug and tries to get information from him about that night.

I found Zoey to some what stupid. She kept saying that her friend Brandon is her boyfriend when it is obvious that they are not anything. I mean come on, they hardly ever talked to each other throughout the novel.

Forget You is a book the kind of book would normally not pick up. I can't deal with books that are sex crazed and graphic. The cover was so beautiful that I just had to buy it (Plus everyone loves Jennifer's books and it was getting great reviews) and give it a chance. I'm glad I did because regardless of my problems with the book Forget You is an addictive read. Forget You will have you reading and hoping everything turns out alright for Zoey.

Forget You goes to show that not every family is perfect. We all have our problems and that you may think you know someone but you don't.

3 or 3.5 Stars!

Books To Trade and Question

Hi Everyone!

I've been thinking about this for awhile now and instead of doing contest and giveaways, I'm going to see if anyone is willing to trade.

The books I want to giveaway are:

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen (PB)

Lockdown: Escape From Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith (HB)

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (PB)

Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James (ARC)

Were You Raised by Wolves? by Toby Heim (ARC)

Some of the books I really want are:

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Shade by Jerri Smith-Ready

Anxious Hearts by Tucker Shaw

These are just to name a few. My wishlist is bigger than this.

If you are interested feel free to contact me at

cupidgurl411(at)aol(dot)com

If you contact me and I don't respond don't worry it just means that the deal will not work and I might just have to hold a contest for that book. But I will give you extra points just for showing interest in that book. :)

On another note:

I was just wondering how long it takes for you guys to receive a book for review from a publisher after you have requested that book. From my experience, some publishers are faster with their process than others.