Goodbye 2015, Hello 2016: A Year in Surveys

Happy New Year book lovers! It's always an exciting time, the last day of the year, where I decide if I can read one more book before midnight and to determine how many books I read this year. There were some amazing ones, some from my favourite authors and many new authors I've added to my must buy list. There are some great surveys going around this time of year, so I thought I'd answer some questions as well! This is a bit of a mix from Jamie @ The Perpetual Page Turner‘s End of the Year Survey ;  Andi @ Andi’s ABCs & Brittany @ The Book Addict’s Guide’s Statistics Survey, and Erica & Christy @ Novel Reads’ Countdown Survey. Here goes!

2015 Reading Stats

 

Number of Books You Read: 138
Number of Re-Reads:
Genre You Read the Most From: YA Contemporary

Best in Books

 

Best book you read in 2015: Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
Book you were excited about and thought you'd love more but didn't: We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach
Best series you started in 2015: The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Best sequel of 2015: Every Word by Ellie Marney
Best series ender of 2015: Winter by Marissa Meyer
Best book from a genre you don't typically read/out of your comfort zone: The Martian by Andy Weir

Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year: Liars Inc. by Paula Stokes
Favourite cover of a book you read in 2015: I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios
Most beautifully written book read in 2015: The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler

Most thought-provoking/life-changing book of 2015: All the Rage by Courtney Summers
Book you can't believe you waited until 2015 to read: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
OTP of the year: Cress and Thorne (Winter by Marissa Meyer)

Book that put a smile on your face/was the most fun to read: Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
Book that made you cry in 2015: Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
Hidden gem of the year: First & Then by Emma Mills

Book that crushed your soul: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Read on a recommendation: Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple
Book that became an instant go-to recommendation: The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

Book you wanted to hug after finishing: Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon
Book you wanted to throw across the room: Towering by Alex Flinn

Shortest and longest book read: Shortest: Happy Again by Jennifer E. Smith (84 pages) Longest: Winter by Marissa Meyer (824 pages)
One book you didn't get to in 2015 but will be your number one priority in 2016: This Shattered World by Meagan Spooner/Amie Kaufman

 All in all, this was a great year of books for me. I read a lot of NA as well, but that alone could take up an entire survey so I'll leave that for another time. Here's hoping 2016 is even better, and let's see if I can beat my record! Happy New Year guys, and happy reading!

Review: Winter

Winter
Author: Marissa Meyer
Published: November 10th, 2015
Hardcover, 824 pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

It was certainly bittersweet finishing this series. I've followed along since Cinder came out in paperback (so not quite as long as others) and fell in love. When Scarlet came out, I knew I'd found my new favourite heroine. And I waited hours to meet Marissa Meyer at Yorkdale mall when Cress was released. Dressed in my red hoodie, I knew I'd love Cress as much as Scarlet and damn was it good. And now, Winter is finished and I'm still not ready to say goodbye to this series. Winter is a great heroine, all four of these ladies are, and her story is just as fantastic and important as the rest. I loved watching everything come together in this fourth book, and seeing all our characters get their happy endings. This is probably the longest teen book I've read but the 800 pages were still too few when I turned the last one. This has been one epic adventure spanning planets with hope, love, and redemption. 

We finally got to meet Winter. She's been hinted at and we know about her background from Fairest, Queen Levana's prequel book, and she is bad ass. Scarred from a young age so that she is no longer the most beautiful on Luna, Winter has endured much from Levana, but not nearly as much as Selene did. Even though her face is scarred, she is still seen as the most beautiful girl on Luna, a praise that Levana despises. Levana will do anything to get rid of Winter once and for all, including using Jacin, Winter's personal guard and very good friend, to kill her. Jacin's feelings for Winter stop him from doing so and he hides Winter until the time is right. Cinder and her friends are on their way to Luna to stop the wedding of Prince Kai and Queen Levana and to get the rightful ruler back on the throne - Princess Selene (also known as Cinder). There are so many plot lines and many adventures that make this book riveting from start to finish. Seeing how it all came together was magical and wonderful and I couldn't be happier with how this all ended. 

Even though this is Winter's story, everyone still gets equal page time. My favourite has to be Cress and Thorne as they discover their feelings for each other and have moments that were certainly swoon-worthy and wonderful. Scarlet and Wolf have some ups and downs as Wolf faces a part of his life he had hoped to leave behind, and Cinder is trying to run a revolution while also making sure her boyfriend doesn't end up married to another woman. I love that most of this book took place on Luna, it gave me a chance to really see how that planet is run and how different it is from Earth. It certainly gave the whole book a magical quality, something I've found this series has lots of.

I could say more, I could give away the whole book because I want to talk about it all night, but I also want you all to experience it yourselves. Please read The Lunar Chronicles, fall in love with these characters and their stories. Go into a futuristic fairytale world and relive the stories we know by heart from our childhood. If you're a Sailor Moon fan, I hope you catch the references and enjoy how it all weave together. I love fairy tales and re-tellings and this series is by far my favourite of both. Stars, there's no way else to say this - this book is fan-freaking-tastic! I can't wait for the last piece of the puzzle, Stars Above, coming out 2016!

“She was prettier than a bouquet of roses and crazier than a headless chicken. Fitting in was not an option.”

“She’s our lost princess. And she’s coming home.”

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Wouldn't Mind Finding Under the Tree

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where we discuss bookish topics in the form of lists.

This week's topic is:

Top Ten books I wouldn't mind having Santa leave me under the tree.

1. This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner - Okay, like I need this sequel!

2. The Distance From Me to You by Marina Gessner - I've had my eye on this one for awhile now.

3. Sublime by Christina Lauren - I'm obsessing over her adult series, gotta get into her YA.

4. Hemingway in Love by A.E. Hotchner - I've only heard good things about this one!

5. All the Words are Yours: Haiku on Love by Tyler Knott Gregson - I love him!

6. Lullabies by Lang Leav - She is fantastic!

7. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - Because you gotta have a classic.

8. The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey - The first one blew me away!

9. Hotel Ruby by Suzanne Young -Something I'm thinking I'll read next October?

10. The Vintage Guide to Love and Romance by Kirsty Greenwood - Just found this one today, looks like fun!

Review: Hold Me Like a Breath

Hold Me Like a Breath
Author: Tiffany Schmidt
Published: May 19th, 2015
Hardcover, 400 pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodread)

Penelope Landlow has grown up with the knowledge that almost anything can be bought or sold—including body parts. She’s the daughter of one of the three crime families that control the black market for organ transplants.

Penelope’s surrounded by all the suffocating privilege and protection her family can provide, but they can't protect her from the autoimmune disorder that causes her to bruise so easily.

And in her family's line of work no one can be safe forever.

All Penelope has ever wanted is freedom and independence. But when she’s caught in the crossfire as rival families scramble for prominence, she learns that her wishes come with casualties, that betrayal hurts worse than bruises, that love is a risk worth taking . . . and maybe she’s not as fragile as everyone thinks.

Tiffany Schmidt has blown me away with each of her books before this one. The plot for this one is so different from her other books that I was a bit nervous going in and not sure what to expect, but I enjoyed every minute of this. Penelope Landlow is the daughter of one of the three crime families that buys and sells human organs. She has always been the weak one, born with a severe autoimmune disorder that causes her to bruise easily. They treat her like she will break and she wants so badly to be a part of the family in a real way. But when everything suddenly changes and her family is no longer there to support her, she is thrust into a world she knows nothing about and is running from those who harmed her family. 

I didn't know going into this that it was a retelling of The Princess and the Pea, the princess being the one who bruises because of the pea hidden beneath a ton of mattresses. This gave me a whole other thing to enjoy about this book. Penelope's disease is unique to YA and it was very interesting to see how her family treated her differently because of her bruises. They thought her fragile, which perhaps she is physically, but I knew she would do great things even if her body would fail her. Once she had to start living on her own, she had no one to take care of her and I was hoping she would have taken better care of herself, especially because of her condition and it surprised me that nothing bad happened to her whilst out there.

There is some crazy intsa-love happening for anyone who isn't into that sort of thing. Penelope has loved her brother's friend, Garrett, for a very long time and they've finally begun to do something about it. The moments they share are sweet, he's careful with her but she eagerly just wants him to touch her. They have decided to run off together when suddenly everything changes and as she waits for him to come find her in the city, she ends up meeting someone else, Char, and quickly becomes infatuated with him. Before long the two of them have a relationship she's been dreaming of, one where she can be with a guy who doesn't treat her like a fragile butterfly. Once she meets Char, he becomes the most important thing in her life, which I don't really mind in a book but I know a lot of people want more than that. The two of them together was a sweet story and the twists and turns that came with it were well done and made for some good drama.

Even though this was unlike any of her other books, I still loved it. The concept was great and unique and the retelling stood on its own without needing to be The Princess and the Pea, but knowing it was made it that much better. I'm excited to see where Tiffany will take this story and what other twists she has up her sleeves. Definitely recommend for anyone looking for something different with a bit macabre, drama and some great romance.

“I know I’m going to fall in love a million times in my life. Maybe more than a million . . . but it will always be with you.”

Review: Dumplin'

Dumplin'
Author: Julie Murphy
Published: September 15th, 2015
Hardcover, 375 pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine—Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.

This is the kind of gem you want to find. I wasn't sure about it until my friends started raving about it, so I knew I had to pick it up. One of my friends dubs Bo as the best boyfriend and saying something like that tells me this is a must read. From the first page, I was sold. Willowdean Dickson isn't ashamed of her body. She knows she's fat and she owns it. She has some insecurities, but for the most part she's fine with how she looks. So when she takes a job at the fast-food restaurant, Harpy's, she expects some snickers behind her but she doesn't expect to find Bo, the gorgeous private school attendee who works in the kitchen. She's even more shocked when he seems to like her back and she can't understand why. Being with him makes her feel more ashamed of her body than she ever has before and she can't figure out why. So she does the one thing she thinks will help her gain her confidence back - she enters the Miss Clover City beauty pageant, a life she's always grown up with thanks to her mom but never fit into. It's hard but hopefully it'll be worth it.

I'm not plus-size. I've always been the skinniest person in the group, but over the years I've gained some weight and some days I feel gross. I think every girl can relate to Willowdean's body insecurities, especially if they're with a guy they really like for the first time and are afraid he'll discover all the things we try to hide. I related to her so much that I wish she were real and my friend. She makes real mistakes and deals with real things and I fell in love with her right away. Her friendship with Ellen is tested throughout the book, and the fact that Ellen is skinny and beautiful, something that never bugged Willow before, becomes a divide in their friendship. And spending time with Bo has changed Willow as well, as it would any girl who is suddenly being treated nicely by a guy and kissing for the first time in their lives. It's a scary time for any girl, and Julie has captured the worries and emotions of any teen girl.

The beauty pageant is a great addition to the book. It has always lived with Willow as her mom is in charge of running it every year, but it was never really hers. Suddenly she has thrust herself into the world head first, along with some of her unconventional friends to fight the system that only beautiful girls can compete and that someone who may not fit the look that is expected could still walk away with the crown. This is a such a great message for any young girl reading the book, showing them that they can be themselves, shouldn't be ashamed of how they look, and to go after the things they want in life. Sometimes it's hard to look in a mirror and love everything we see. We all thing we'd like to change, but if we can find a way to be happy with ourselves, then we'll be set. The characters all stood out to me, even Willow's aunt who is dead before the book begins plays just as big a part as her mom or friends do. Bo is certainly worthy of being one of the best book boyfriends (not my number one though!) and Willow is the perfect main character. Her voice is so real and her reactions and emotions to events happening throughout the book. She isn't perfect, none of us are, but her journey through having her first boyfriend, having a fight with her best friend, losing her favourite aunt, and joining and succeeding in a beauty pageant, is one that I won't forget anytime soon and will continue to recommend this to my friends.

“All my life I’ve had a body worth commenting on and if living in my skin has taught me anything, it’s that if it’s not your body, it’s not yours to comment on. Fat. Skinny. Short. Tall. It doesn’t matter.”

Review: Carry On

Carry On
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Published: October 6th, 2015
522 pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen.

That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.

Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters.

Carry On started out as a fan fiction Cath is writing in Rainbow's book, Fangirl, We all figured it would be just that - fan fiction - until the glorious day Rainbow announced she was writing it and publishing it. We met Simon Snow and his vampire roommate Baz as they migrated the wizarding world and passing classes. It was pretty much Harry Potter but with some guy on guy action and the snippets we got were wonderfully written and intriguing so I was really excited to pick this one up when it hit shelves. I can't say I wasn't flabbergasted since this book is pretty much Harry Potter. But this one stands on its own to me and I enjoyed every minute of it, though I'd still love a Fangirl sequel too.

Simon Snow has just started his final year at the Watford School of Magicks and it's already off to a rough start. His roommate, Baz, hasn't shown up yet and he's being visited by a couple of ghosts. Not to mention he still hasn't perfected his magic and is pretty sure he isn't the real chosen one. Most wizards have life figured out before they graduate. but Simon has no idea what will happen next, he mostly just really wants Baz back.

This story intrigued me from start to finish. There was a lot of action, some spooky moments, and the love between Simon and Baz was magnificent. I love a good story where two people who supposedly hate each other realize just the opposite and fall in love. These two have such a fun relationship. They bicker all the time, Simon is scared to go near Baz's bed yet can't get enough of him. There were scenes that I remembered from Fangirl that made me smile. I love that Rainbow incorporated what we already knew about this series and this fan fiction and turned it into something real. The characters leaped off the pages and even though they bore similarities to real characters from the Harry Potter series, they still held up as their own people.

I love a good magic slash ghost slash love story and Simon and Baz delivered on all fronts. I love that Simon was able to find out who he really could be and that him and Baz were able to realixe their love for each other. They certainly had some swoon worthy moments and Rainbow knows how to write a good kissing scene for sure. I had a lot of fun reading this and it made me want to reread Fangirl so badly but I haven't really found the time to do that yet. Hopefully soon because I miss Cath and Levi as much as I'm sure I'll miss Simon and Baz soon. I'm not going to lie, I've been fangirling over this since it was announced and even though I'm finished it and have many books since it, I'm still all fluttery about these two, just like I still am with Cath and Levi.

“You have to pretend you get an endgame. You have to carry on like you will; otherwise, you can't carry on at all.”

Waiting on Wednesday: You Know Me Well

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine where we spotlight an upcoming release we are eagerly anticipating.

My WoW this week is:

You Know Me Well

By Nina LaCour and David Levithan
Expected Publication: June 16th, 2016

From Goodreads:

Who knows you well? Your best friend? Your boyfriend or girlfriend? A stranger you meet on a crazy night? No one, really? 

Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed.

That is until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way.

When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other -- and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.

Told in alternating points of view by Nina LaCour, the award-winning author of Hold Still and The Disenchantments, and David Levithan, the best-selling author of Every Day and co-author of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (with Rachel Cohn) and Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with John Green), You Know Me Well is a deeply honest story about navigating the joys and heartaches of first love, one truth at a time.

This book sounds amazing! Nina LaCour is one of my favourite authors so I can't wait to read more from her, and I love when David Levithan co-writes with other authors. They are both amazing talents and this book sounds wonderful. Seriously, such a long wait for this one, I want it now!

What books are you not so patiently waiting for?

Review: Every Word

Every Word
Author: Ellie Marney
Published: September 8th, 2015
Hardcover, 352 pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Sparks fly when Watts follows Mycroft to London in this second steamy thriller about the teen crime-fighting duo.

James Mycroft has just left for London to investigate a car accident similar to the one that killed his parents without saying good-bye to his partner in crime, Rachel Watts.

Rachel is furious and worried about his strange behavior—not that Mycroft’s ever exactly normal, but London is the scene of so many of his nightmares. Unable to resist, Rachel jumps on a plane to follow him and lands straight in a whole storm of trouble.

The theft of a copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio, the possible murder of a rare books conservator and the deaths of Mycroft's parents…Can Watts help Mycroft make sense of the three events—or will she lose him forever?

Series Review: Neon Dreams

It's been a while guys and I hate that I haven't been writing. This is a new review system I'm going to use for certain books to make writing more fun. Series reviews will be mini reviews for an entire series that I've finished, most will be New Adult since I've been reading a lot of those lately. Let's see how this goes!

Neon Dreams by Caisey Quinn
Nashville meets New Adult in Neon Dreams, a dramatic, sexy series from bestselling author Caisey Quinn, about a country band’s rocky road to fame—and the ambition, dreams, and love of the people who make the music.

Leaving Amarillo
Published: March 17th 2015
5 Gold Stars

Dixie Lark has had a hard life. She lost her parents when she was young and been raised by her grandparents and older brother, Dallas. Music has been her saving grace and her violin is her most treasured possession. Dixie and Dallas are living their dream and playing music together, along with Dallas's best friend Gavin. On the verge of hitting it big, Dixie should be happy, but her feelings for Gavin are clouding everything. Gavin has been told not to touch her and he listens, but Dixie needs him so she devises a plan - one night. One night to get him out of her system, one night to move on. Gavin agrees, though it's a struggle for him to break his promise to Dallas, and that one night changes everything. How do you get back to where you were after you've crossed a line that should never have been crossed?

Dixie is a tough cookie. She's been through hell but instead of wallowing, she puts all her sadness into her music and focuses on her band. Her feelings for Gavin sometimes get in the way, but she's pretty good at not letting them rule her life. I can't blame the girl though, Gavin is one hot drummer. He's tortured, has had a rough past, and cares for her more than a brother's best friend should. The tension between the two of them is so hot it comes off the pages and I waited the whole book for their night together and it was worth it. It's clear these two belong together, but circumstances make that impossible. Emotions fly off the pages. The band is finally going on a real tour and that changes a lot of things. Dallas is loving the stardom and music companies want him to go solo. Women hang off of Gavin and all Dixie can do is watch. The drama is high in this one and it's so beautifully tortured that I craved the next page to see what would happen. Dixie and Gavin are the kind of couple I love to find in New Adult. Forbidden love, but a real love. They have the kind of love for each other we all hope to find. But there's a lot Gavin needs to face before he can be ready for Dixie and the ending of this one made me immediately pick up the next book.

Loving Dallas
Published: June 16th 2015
5 Gold Stars

Dallas is living a good life now. He's so close to achieving his dream of making it big in country music. Having just signed with Mandy Lantram, a successful manager who promises big things, Dallas's life is luckier than ever. But fame comes with a price and Dallas has left behind his band, sister, best friend, and high school sweetheart, Robyn, in the pursuit of fame. When he starts the tour, a pleasant surprise shows up. Robyn is now the rep for the beer company sponsoring the tour and as soon as they are forced to work together, Dallas and Robyn realize that the old spark they thought they'd extinguished might still be a burning flame. 

Dallas isn't a bad guy, I think a lot of people would leave behind those they love to pursue a dream, but you can tell he misses them. As soon as Robyn enters his life again, he makes it his mission to win her back, but Mandy gets in the way. I love the moments Dallas and Robyn share together, even though there is a lot of pain from the past. Robyn has closed herself off since Dallas broke up with her and it takes a lot just to be near him now, but she can't fight how he still makes her feel. The chemistry between them is still potent so they decide to have fun, try not to let feelings get involved and just be friends with benefits. Of course feelings are always involved and drama ensues, but this is what relationships are like and Dallas and Robyn have a lot to work out before they can get to a good place. 

There were a lot of twists and turns, some crazy events and a surprise I didn't see coming. I got a look into the good sides and the bad sides of the music industry and what we do for the people we love. Dallas and Robyn's story is beautiful and I really hope Dixie and Gavin get their happy ending as well. 

Missing Dixie
Published: October 27th 2015
5 Gold Stars

In the final book of the Neon Dreams trilogy, Gavin is ready to tell Dixie all the reasons why he left after their night together. He's ready to fight for her and ask for forgiveness. Dixie is ready to move on and live her life without Gavin in it. But when Dallas says he wants to put the band back together and tour again Dixie finds it hard to say no and the night of her brother's wedding she finds Gavin hard to resist, especially when they are in the bathroom together. The band is getting a second chance and Gavin is asking for one. Dixie isn't so sure but Gavin is going to do everything he can to prove he's worthy of her.

Dixie and Gavin own my heart. Gavin has done a lot of things he isn't proud of. His drug addict mother rules his life and every time she calls, he goes running. But if he's going to be good enough for Dixie, he needs to start putting his own needs above his mom's, a woman who doesn't really care about him. The more Gavin tells Dixie, the easier it will be for her to forgive him. Throughout the story, he pours his heart out to her and tells her the truth about where he was when she was on her road trip, why he didn't contact her when she got back and why he lied about being in Amarillo the entire time. There are so many gut wrenching moments and I swear I went through every emotion as I read this book and by the end of it I was a mess but I was the happiest mess there is. Dixie and Gavin are the perfect characters and the love they have for each other runs so deep there was no way they wouldn't end up together. This was the perfect ending to a fantastic series and oh man can I not wait for another series from Caisey Quinn.


This series is full of raw emotions, great character growth, and the feel that only music can give you. Dreams can change, new beginning can emerge, love can grow and blossom and lives can forever be intertwined. This series has quickly become one of my favourites and I hope it is or will be one of yours.

“Life doesn't always turn out how you expect and sometimes parts of you get broken along the way, but there is always hope and even broken pieces can be rebuilt into something beautiful.”

Waiting on Wednesday: Take the Fall

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, where we spotlight a book we are eagerly anticipating.

My WoW this week is:

Take the Fall
By Emily Hainsworth
Expected Publication: February 16th, 2016
From Balzer & Bray

From Goodreads:

WHO KILLED GRETCHEN MEYER?

Fear grips the residents of Hidden Falls the night Sonia Feldman and her best friend, Gretchen Meyer, are attacked in the woods. Sonia was lucky to escape with her life, but Gretchen’s body is discovered at the bottom of a waterfall. Beautiful, popular, and seemingly untouchable, Gretchen can’t be gone. Even as Sonia struggles with guilt and confusion over having survived, the whole town is looking to her for information…could she have seen something that will lead the police to the killer?

At the top of the list of suspects is Gretchen’s ex-boyfriend—and Sonia’s longtime enemy—Marcus Perez. So when Marcus comes to Sonia for help clearing his name, she agrees, hoping to find evidence the police need to prove he’s the killer. But as Gretchen’s many secrets emerge and the suspects add up, Sonia feels less sure of Marcus’s involvement, and more afraid for herself. Could Marcus, the artist, the screwup, the boy she might be falling for have attacked her? Killed her best friend? And if it wasn’t him in the woods that night…who could it have been?


I figured something creepy was due for Halloween and even though this one won't be out for a while, I know it'll scare me silly when I read it. Emily's first book, Through to You, was amazing and I can't wait to read this next one from her!

What book are you waiting on?

Top Ten Tuesday: Halloween Fun!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where we make lists about bookish topics.

This week is Halloween week. Halloween is seriously my favourite holiday, so I had to make sure I actually came onto my blog to make this list. This week is a freebie, so it's pretty much anything goes, so my list will be some fun, scary books that remind me of Halloween. Get ready to sleep with the lights on!

1. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake - Part ghost story, part love story, this one kept me on the edge of my seat and scared me silly.

2. This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers - Zombies at their best. Summers effortlessly weaves together a story that could be real. A girl who doesn't want to fight to survive, but ends up surprising herself by how hard she fights for her friends.

3. Rooms by Lauren Oliver - Told from many perspectives, two of which are ghosts, this tells the story of a dysfunctional family and the house they live in. Super cool and creepy.

4. Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma - This book is just creepy. After finishing it, I still wasn't sure what had happened and it stayed with me for nights after. Perfect for Halloween.

5. Hexed by Michelle Krys - Gotta have a witch tale on here. This one isn't really scary, but witches equal Halloween to me. This one has some Buffy elements and some cool witchcraft to make for an entertaining read.

6. The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe - A virus infects a small island and quickly spreads to the rest of Canada, then the world. Scary enough right?

7. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan - A zombie book that takes place long after the apocalypse in a town that's starting over. Very old-fashioned and backwards and Mary will do anything to get out of it, even if that means crossing the fence into the unknown. Creepy at its best, and the sequels are amazing as well!

8. My Soul To Take by Rachel Vincent - Demons, pure evil, and a seventeen-year-old girl trying to stop them from destroying her high school. One of my favourite series still and perfect if you want a little creep factor in your life.

9. Dracula by Bram Stoker - Because you gotta get a classic in there. If there's any vampire to be scared of, it's Dracula. Old school creepy.

And lastly, one that's on my list to read this year...

10. The Fall by Bethany Griffin - Her retelling of The Mask of the Red Death was dark and creepy, so I'm sure this one, a retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher will be just as good. Just gotta find time to read it now!

I hope everyone will pick up a spooky book this week or at least watch something scary. Happy Halloween all!