Book Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Series: #1
Genre: YA/Dystopian/Sci-fi
Rating: ★★★★ (3.5)

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

When I first read this book, it was soaring with the spirit of femininity. The main protagonist, Cassia Reyes is blazing with it. In a Society that's controlled, full of rules and regulations in belief of achieving a perfect lifestyle, Cassia becomes a little rebellious here - All because of one slight malfunction in her Matching card

It's so hard to review this book without having to say any spoilers. It's your typical perfect-boy-loves-perfect-girl-until-perfect-girl-meets-mysterious-boy-and-decidedly-falls-for-him kind of flick but added with hints of your average sci-fi and dystopian themes. Xander has been described as a handsome teen usually being fallen for by the other girls their age, and is Cassia's bestfriend and unexpectedly (though cliche-ingly) her match. Cassia then meets Ky, an Aberration and a childhood acquaintance. She gets curious of what Ky's past was so her curiosity leads her to know Ky better. And I'm probably not the only one, but I kind of found it similar to The Hunger Games series with its characters and setting.

All I can say is that I really smell the scent of a Peeta-Katniss-Gale kind of love triangle here! And the further you read the book, the further you'll hate the Society. (Similar to how you'll hate/have hated the Capitol). The way the Society was run wasn't that all original, but I guess it was somehow interesting.

I've also been hearing a lot of mixed reviews on this book, and somehow I'm in between because I've found a lot of good points and bad points of it. I kind of hated how undecisive Cassia was, regarding her feelings and whatnot. Though I've got to admit that the scenes between Cassia and Ky and Cassia and Xander were pretty sweet, so that's a plus.

 I also hated how strict the Society was just so the plot could continue. I felt that during the first half of the book it was so slow paced, like everyday Cassia would just do, talk, and wonder about the same things over and over again; and then in the latter half of the book everything was happening so fast that they started to be messy.

Matched was a fun read but then again I didn't enjoy a few aspects of it. I'm still however looking forward to reading its sequel, Crossed.

Book Review: It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

Title: It's Not Summer Without You
Author: Jenny Han
Series: #2
Genre: YA/Contemporary/Teen
Rating: ★★★★★ (4.5 Stars)

It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come.
But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started--at Cousins Beach.

Click here to read:  The Summer I Turned Pretty Review (Prequel/#1, Summer Series)

So first thing's first, I'm hooked to this series. I've finished the series within 24 hours (I know, total nerd right?) but just because it was a really good one. I'm going to start with its good points - it's not the same with the first book, but you'll probably find similar details that will make you love this book as much as you loved the first one.

Belly has been experiencing a different summer than her usual one. In this book,  she's been spending a boring and worthless summer with her best friend Taylor. Belly's family has not made plans to go back to Cousins Island ever since Susannah died. Everything changed because of that. Her mother has been in a different state, as well as Conrad and Jeremiah. Everyone has grown up and had their own separate lives. But then Belly hears from Jeremiah that Conrad has been missing for a few days and that he needs her help. Of course, Belly would do anything for Conrad, and especially for Susannah.

I loved this book because aside from the usual flashbacks we get to see flashbacks and narratives from Jeremiah's point of view. Here we see much more of him, and that he's 100x better than the Jeremiah we've known from The Summer I Turned Pretty. That way the story didn't just revolve around Belly and her unending love for Conrad, but it's actually about Cousins Island, the summer house and the spirit of summer. As much as I loved the first book, here you can actually 'feel' summer. The salty water, the scorching rays, the boys, the people, the secrets, and the bonds you've created and will create.

I loved how we kind of got a glimpse of all the characters. Their true personalities, the things they've hid from the first book, and such. It made me feel connected to the story so much more. But I feel like there's a lot more this book could add to itself, but sometimes I feel like it's perfect the way it is. In some parts it has a slow storyline, especially with the flashbacks in between, but you'll get to the point of seeing that the flashbacks support the previous or succeeding chapter. Hence, the 4.5 stars. 

For me it's a book full of emotions and it can really touch your heart once you've gotten to the sense of it. It's captivating, heart-breaking, and enticing. I recommend It's Not Summer Without You to the lovers of the first book, and to the ones who haven't heard of the series yet.

Book Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty
Author: Jenny Han
Series #: 1
Genre: YA/Contemporary/Teen
Rating: ★★★★

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han is amazing in its own way. So the story begins in the summer, introducing Belly or Isabel's family on their way to their Summer house in Cousin's Island. Cousin's is where Belly and her family has spent most of their summers. The house is owned by her mother's best friend, Suzannah, who has two gorgeous sons named Conrad and Jeremiah; with Belly having been in love with Conrad ever since she was 10.

As much as I don't want to post any spoilers, I think The Summer I Turned Pretty is one of the most memorable books I've ever read. It's on the right side of clichè and the right side of awful. There's just books that are too clichè making it too awful, but Jenny Han made TSITP perfect. I love how Belly's just the average girl. She's 15, turning 16, she's going through this social anxiety phase, she has a jerk of an older brother, she's a bit experimental, she doesn't find heels and mini skirts comfortable, and she doesn't even have a lot of friends.

It's your typical teen story. There are fights, crushes, loves, first time's, parties, dressing up, everything that the current generation teen experiences. I think that Jenny Han wrote The Summer I Turned Pretty ordinarily while making it extraordinary to its readers. Some of you might find it too cheesy or too idealistic, but I saw the side where it is pretty realistic, that it does tackle some kind of shallow teenage issues. How pasts can create presents, how much over-thinking can influence anything.

I recommend it to anyone who loves to read contemporary in the perspective of a teenage girl. I think this book is worth a shot. Hopefully you will, too. If ever you enjoy it, read its sequels!

Book Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass

Title: The Selection
Author: Kiera Cass
Series #: 1
Genre: YA/Dystopian/Sci-fi
Rating: ★★★★

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

This is one of my favorite covers of all time. I honestly bought this because of the cover (and of course the back cover synopsis...) because who wouldn't get attracted to frilly gowns and pretty colors?!

So I agree with the thought that it's like Hunger Games (without all the gore) and the Bachelor mashed together in one book. It's set in a futuristic time, where Illea (previously North America) is divided into eight Castes (one being the highest), and all girls between the ages of 16-20 are given application forms to join the Selection (similar to the Hunger Games, except the Selection is not mandatory), a competition to search for the next queen of Illea. And of course, we have the ever so stubborn protagonist who doesn't believe in the whole process, America Singer, from the fifth caste. She was basically forced into entering the competition by her family and secret boyfriend.

What I didn't like about The Selection is that you'd love-hate-hate America. She's just so indecisive, and trust me, she's a sweetheart, but sometimes there's this part of her that would make you pull your hair out of your head. It's like, "GIRL DO YOU REALLY WANT THIS OR NOT BECAUSE I COULD REALLY FILL IN YOUR PLACE AND MAKE MAXON FALL IN LOVE WITH ME INSTEAD" most of the time. The writing was a bit off and I kind of noticed that sometimes it wasn't that consistent regarding the use  of the words (e.g the presence of the repetitiveness of the vocabulary) and the story itself, but I guess it had a good plot. I seriously think the plot was amazing.

What I liked about this book is it's so original. You don't get to see books like this everyday, don't you? It's about everything a common girl hopes for - but it's nothing like the Carrie Diaries or The Sisterhood of Travelling Pants, it's all crowns, handsome boys, royalties, grand palaces, banquets, and extravagant gowns and dresses. But there's also this side of the book that kind of deals with action, and somehow it teaches the girls not only to be soft and feminine queens, but a queen who can handle these situations when it actually arises. (And in my point of view, I think all girls should possess that quality, not just the women in the line of royalty in the present and/or in the future.)

Because of this, I did not only love the series but I loved Kiera Cass as well! She's so witty and amazing in all aspects.  I enjoyed it, and I think it's worth a shot. You guys should try it. (It makes you feel all tingly inside because of all the sweet Maxon-America scenes!)

P.S. I'm definitely on Team Maxon.
P.P.S. You guys should also try reading the novellas (The Prince and The Guard; POV's of Maxon and Aspen respectively). I think those support the story a lot and can make you change your views of the story/book.

Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent (Divergent #1)
Author: Veronica Roth
Series #: 1
Genre: YA/Dystopian/Science Fiction
Rating: ★★★★★

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

First of all I must say that this is one unique story. I first knew about this at Tumblr, and when I got to a bookstore, I bought it without even thinking otherwise. The first few sentences kind of already captured me, so I didn't really put it down for the next 5 hours or so. 

Brief Explanation about 'Divergence' and its Synopsis above... (NO MAJOR SPOILERS!)
So in Divergent, we have sixteen year-old Beatrice Prior. So when people turn sixteen, they have to undergo some kind of aptitude test that will show what one faction they belong to and then evaluate their choices. Chicago has this kind of annual ceremony that's participated by the people evaluated by the test. This ceremony is to chose a new faction. Whether they feel they don't belong in their current faction, they could switch. The decision is entirely theirs, but of course, the test is created to help narrow the choices of the teenagers. But when Tris had her aptitude test, the result showed three equal results, that she was compatible with Erudite, Abnegation, and Dauntless. This means she is divergent, a kind of 'race' wherein people have different mentalities and abilities rather than those who aren't. From the root word 'diverse', divergent means that these people switch their thinkings rapidly, as opposed to those who aren't divergent. Since their government is designed to train people to build a better nation or community, they believe that divergence will only ruin the proposal of a better country. That's why when Tris got her results, her proctor warned her that the government wishes to eradicate the Divergent. Tris kept this secret as well because she's afraid that this could be the very reason of her death. 

I love/d the characters in this book as well as their stories. It feels like every character is crafted finely to create this well-written book. When you read this book, you'd probably get a sense of having an inner Tris deep inside you. We could also get a sense that maybe in a few years or generations, we could have this kind of controlled world. It really is possible. 

It's not entirely similar to THG (The Hunger Games), as most people say. It's something new in the realm of YA fiction and is really interesting. It's a compelling story about strength, love, hope, faith, and secrecy. If you want to spice up your YA selection, then add this to your reading list! I highly recommend this :) Hope you would enjoy/have enjoyed reading this as much as I did.

Book Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Title: Where She Went
Author: Gayle Forman
Series #: 2
Genre: YA/Contemporary
Rating: ★★★★★ (a hundred more if possible)

It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future-and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

First of all I want to say how strong the If I Stay series is. I loved its first book -- If I Stay, and now I absolutely adore Where She Went. Well, basically, you can read the series in any order at all. But I suggest sticking to the chronological pacing. ☺

In this second book, we are reading from Adam's point of view. And, you guessed it, Adam's now a big-time rock star with an even-bigger girlfriend in terms of show business. But he still is, truly, madly, and deeply in love with Mia, and he thinks that there's is no one out there who could replace her.

And I both hate and love Adam and Mia. On Adam,  Well, all of his sadness, anger, hurt, and pain from Mia were the roots of his success, the cause of Shooting Star's hit albums, yet he couldn't even bring himself to tell Mia what he truly feels. Well, true, I believe that it's not that easy at all, but it's been eating him alive for the past three years. What I love about him, well, is that he couldn't just hurt Mia, in any way, even if he would wanted to, because that's what those three years did to him. He held on too much to something his heart desires but his brain tries to forget. He even feels sad whenever Mia cries. On Mia, gurl, why didn't you explain earlier? Maybe things could have gone better than they were. MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN MARRIED BY THIS BOOK YOU KNOW. (But I guess Where She Went wouldn't have such an amazing plot if that happened.) (P.S. You'll understand when you read it!)

And to top it all, I loved the writing, how Gayle Forman would make us anticipate and speculate about what happened then, and what will happen now, now that Mia and Adam are basically taking a tour around New York City. I also loved how I could feel each moment as much as the characters did. (Thus the crying I've been trying to hide)

Okay, to settle things, I did cry in both of the two books, okay. It's just so amazing in all ways possible. It feels true; Like Mia and Adam wrote the story themselves. *Again, praising Gayle Forman for that* Where She Went is a compelling love story about reconciliation, the hope of mending the broken pieces, and starting over.

And it's just amazing, how everything comes to life, like all the cliché love quotes are actually true -- for example, "if you two are really meant for each other, then fate will bring you closer." or something like that. Kidding aside, I can't explain how much this series touched me. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a wonderful read.

Book Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Title: If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Page count: 262 pages
Series #: 1
Rating:  ★★★★★
Genre: YA/Contemporary

Mia had everything: a loving family, a gorgeous, admiring boyfriend, and a bright future full of music and full of choices. In an instant, almost all of that is taken from her. Caught between life and death, between a happy past and an unknowable future, Mia spends one critical day contemplating the only decision she has left. It is the most important decision she'll ever make.

Simultaneously tragic and hopeful, this is a romantic, riveting, and ultimately uplifting story about memory, music, living, dying, loving.

Behold fans of Before I Fall! This is yet another book about death and self-discovery.

I love this book to pieces, okay.  I think it's amazing how Gayle Forman created up this story. I mean, before the accident, we get a glimpse of how Mia's family is. How they're weird, funny, and caring. You get to sense how much they really love each other. That's how I cringed reading through the accident, how it was just so sudden. After I read that part, you could basically just sit in a corner and be scared for the rest of your life, because the future is unpredictable. That accident happened to Mia and her family, as much as it could happen to anyone else.

Another thing that I loved was how much I believed it. My head was practically filled with 'what if's' and huge theories that maybe if someone in Mia's situation could be in that state.

And of course, I couldn't have just left this review with 5 stars without a book boyfriend. Here we have Adam, the rocker-type of guy who'd take a job as a pizza delivery guy just to take you to a Yo-Yo Ma concert. And I absolutely loved how he shows his love to Mia, how he thinks she's perfect in every way, even though Mia constantly asks, "Why me?"

In this book, we join Mia as she reassesses her life, her lovelife, and her self. Is it really worthy to stay? Or would it be better to just ease the lives of everyone else worried about her?

I think all in all it was an amazing story about love, choices, hurt and loss. It's absolutely heart-breaking. But then again, you'd have to read it for yourself. This is highly recommended!