Book Review | We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

One of the most hyped books of this summer is We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. I picked up a copy at a Barnes & Noble event that I attended back in May, and was able to meet the author and have her sign my book! I really enjoyed meeting her and hearing more about what went into writing We Were Liars. I knew that I needed to read it right away in order to avoid any spoilers, and I'm so very glad I did.

We Were Liars is a contemporary, young adult novel told from the point of view of our main character Cadence. Each summer, Cadence joins her wealthy family on their own private island off the coast of Massachusetts. The book chronicles Cadence's return to the island, and readers learn that two summers ago she suffered an accident that affected her memory. The remainder of the book follows Cadence as she tries to piece together what happened.

If you've heard about We Were Liars, then you'll probably know that there is a great deal of mystery surrounding the book. Despite its short length, the story packs a punch. There is a shocking ending that can't be talked about, so if you've not yet read this book, I highly recommend you pick it up right away.

We Were Liars had a huge impact on me. I'm writing this review over a month after reading the novel, and it is still burned into my memory. The book is truly life-altering. It's written absolutely beautifully, and I'm quite impressed with how carefully crafted it is. Lockhart did an amazing job with We Were Liars, and it's definitely encouraged me to look into her other books.

I apologize for such a vague review, but as I mentioned, it's best to read We Were Liars without much context. I definitely recommend this book, and suggest you pick it up before getting spoiled. It's definitely a summer read, but keep the tissues nearby. You can purchase We Were Liars on Amazon HERE. Of course, I gave the book a full 5 star rating on Goodreads.

I use Amazon Affiliate links so you can find the books I mention easily. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Snapshot Sunday | Stuyvesant Square

I happened to wander upon Stuyvesant Square today, and it was just beautiful! The sun was shining, and the flowers were in bloom. This is an untouched photograph from my iPhone. I absolutely love it! Plus, this park looked much quieter than others in the area, so I think I'll be returning there at some point. It looks like a great spot to read!

Book Review | Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

I've wanted to read a book by Rainbow Rowell for several months now, as so many people praise her writing. Luckily, the Booksplosion Book of the Month for May was Attachments, so I decided to pick it up! I was able to get an eBook from the library, and raced through the book in just one day. I absolutely loved this adult fiction novel, and can't wait to share my thoughts on it with you!

Attachments takes place starting in 1999 when the internet was just taking off and Y2K was a giant threat to companies everywhere. Lincoln works in the IT department of a local newspaper, and part of his job is to oversee the email accounts in the office. If emails are being sent for inappropriate reasons, such as personal emails during the work day, Lincoln is supposed to report it. He soon notices that correspondence between two women, Beth and Jennifer, end up in his security inbox on a regular basis. The two women email each other during the work day all the time, and even though Lincoln is supposed to report them, he decides not to do so. Instead, he finds himself reading their emails, and even develops feelings for one of them.

The story is told in a unique way, with the reader being exposed to Lincoln's life in some chapters, and the emails between Beth and Jennifer in the others. I loved reading the emails, and found that they really helped to propel the story forward, as I wanted to find out what would happen next in the ongoing saga of Beth and Jennifer's lives. I also really enjoyed that we got to find out a lot about Lincoln's life. It was refreshing to have a contemporary story told from the male character's point-of-view. While Attachments does focus on a love story made possible through technology, it deals with several serious topics as well, and that helped me connect with the characters quite easily. Rowell does an amazing job at being both downright poignant while still bringing romance to the forefront.

I highly recommend Attachments, and gave it a full 5 star rating on Goodreads. It is a highly enjoyable and fast-paced novel, and I definitely want to read more of Rowell's books in the future. You can purchase Arrachments on Amazon HERE. Please let me know if you read any of Rowell's other books in the comments!

I use Amazon Affiliate links so you can find the books I mention easily. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Book Review | Coin Heist by Elisa Ludwig

If you think contemporary, young adult novels are only fluffy love stories, think again! I recently had the opportunity to read an advance, e-copy of Coin Hesit by Elisa Ludwig, and I'm excited to share my thoughts on the book before it comes out tomorrow on June 10, 2014.

As you may be able to guess from the title, this story involves an epic plan to rob the Philadelphia location of the United States Mint. The story follows four teenagers who attend a prestigious, private high school. When it's discovered that the school's headmaster embezzled away the school's endowment, it seems the historic high school will have to close its doors forever at the end of the semester. Not wanting this to happen, our main characters join forces to hack into the mint and make enough money to repay the headmaster's debts and ensure the school will live on.

Coin Heist is told in an alternating, first person point-of-view, with each of the four teens getting an opportunity to tell his or her part of the story. I always love having more than one point-of-view in a book, and I thought it worked really well here. In fact, it propelled me to keep reading at points in the story where I otherwise might have taken a reading break between chapters – that was a great choice by Ludwig to keep a consistent ordering of the storytellers (except for one part, which was jumbled for some odd reason).

Overall, I really enjoyed Coin Heist. It was very well-written, and the characters were all very likable. I connected easily with the characters, and I thought it was interesting that even though they were plotting a huge, criminal act I was still rooting for them to pull it off without getting caught! My only critiques of the story is that for the majority of the book I was waiting for something to happen. It wasn't until the latter quarter of the book that all of the major action took place. I did enjoy the ending, but it left me wanting more. Coin Heist is a stand-alone novel, but I would certainly be open to learning more about what happened to our crew next.

I rated Coin Heist a 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, and highly recommend this book if you like movies such as Ocean's Eleven or National Treasure. It's definitely a fun book, and I finished it rather quickly. You can purchase Coin Heist on Amazon HERE, and be sure to let me know what you thought of Coin Heist in the comments if you'd read it!

I received this book for my unbiased review. I use Amazon Affiliate links so you can find the books I talk about easily. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Book Review | Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

It's been a goal of mine this year to reread at least one book per month. In May, I decided to pick up Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, as I remember absolutely loving it when I first read it back in high school. I picked this up during the Bout of Books 10.0 Readathon, and finished it quite quickly.

Slaughterhouse-Five is a story within a story. Our narrator is a World War II veteran who sets out to write a book about his experience during the Dresden bombing. The majority of the story, however, is the author's actual book, which centers on Billy Pilgrim's life. The story is not written in chronological order, but instead jumps all around throughout Billy's life. This time travel aspect requires the reader to pay very close attention in order to piece Billy's life together, but also tells a poetic story. Oh, and aliens also play a role in this novel. Slaughterhouse-Five is thus an interesting mix of historical fiction and science fiction.

During my reread, I had some trouble connecting with the story, which was quite disappointing. Vonnegut's writing is so beautiful, and because I was trying to rush through this book for the readathon, I think I missed out on the great and poignant experience that Slaughterhouse-Five can be. I ended up giving this book a 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads this time around, but I know that I will be rereading this book again in the future. It is one of my long-term goals to read all of Vonnegut's works, so I think next time I'll pick up another one of his books.

If you've never read Slaughterhouse-Five, I highly recommend it. I suggest that you take the time to appreciate this book, despite it's short length (it's just over 200 pages). You can purchase Slaughterhouse-Five on Amazon HERE. Feel free to let me know in the comments what you thought about this book if you've read it, and what other Vonnegut books you recommend.

I use Amazon Affiliate links so you can find the books I talk about easily. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Broadway | The Cripple of Inishmaan with Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe has returned to Broadway to star in The Cripple of Inishmaan, and I couldn't wait to see the show. If you've followed OpenLetter2NYC since it's early days, you'll know that I saw Daniel in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying twice because I absolutely loved his performance. The Cripple of Inishmaan is nothing like How to Succeed, but if there's a chance to see DanRad onstage, I will be there.

This play takes place in rural Ireland in the early 20th Century. Daniel is Billy, a young man born a cripple who lives with his two aunts. When the town gossip Johnnypateen tells Billy that a film is being cast on a nearby island, Billy joins his neighbors in traveling to the set in an attempt to be cast in the film. In order to not spoil the plot, I'll end my summary of the show there, but know that this play is a great, dark comedy that will make you laugh and touch your heart as well.

The Cripple of Inishmaan has an unpublicized, general rush policy with tickets at $37 each. My friend graciously waited in line at the theatre for us, and we scored front row seats! I happened to be sitting in seat 102, which meant that Daniel sat directly in front of me for much of the show. It was great! I recommend getting to the theatre by at least 7:00am on show day if you want a chance at the front row. It is definitely worth the wait! Be aware that the stage at this play is quite high, so you will have to crane your neck a bit, and you might miss out on some of the action. I love being up close and personal with the actors, so I don't mind the somewhat-partial view. Note: if you don't want to get any raw egg on you, the front row is not the place for you!

As you may have imagined, the Stage Door experience was absolutely crazy. The barricades were completely filled up by the time we made it out the doors of the theatre, but I was still able to snap a couple photos of Daniel as he signed Playbills and took selfies with those at the front of the barricades. Yes – the man took selfies. By the time my friend and I fought our way to the front, Daniel signed one more autograph and got into his patiently waiting car. I may or may not have screamed "NO!!" when he got in the car..... alright, I was disappointed. But hey, at least I live in NYC and can head to the theatre again before the show closes. For those of you wondering, third time is not always the charm!

While I'm not usually a huge fan of plays (musicals are just my thing), The Cripple of Inishmaan was a wonderful Broadway experience! The entire cast puts on an amazing performance, and it really is an honor to see Daniel Radcliffe in person. In addition to the general rush policy, The Cripple of Inishmaan is offering $27 tickets as well in order to give more people the opportunity to see a Broadway show. All details can be found on the show's official website HERE. The Cripple of Inishmaan is playing at the Cort Theatre until July 20, 2014.

P.S. I'll be back for my selfie, DanRad. I'll be back!

Book Review | Branded by Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki

Today's book review is very exciting for me, as this is the first blog tour in which I've ever taken part! The authors of Branded, Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki, reached out to me and asked if I would review their book, and I decided to go for it. I'm so very glad I did!

While originally released in 2013, the authors revamped Branded to make the story even better. Branded is a young adult, dystopian novel, and the first in a new series entitled A Sinners Series. The book begins with protagonist Lexie Hamilton being snatched from her home in High Society and taken to The Hole. Ever since The Commander rose to power, all citizens who were accused of sin were brought to The Hole to live together in a giant, prison-like sector of society. Sinners immediately get branded around the neck with a tattoo representing what sin she has committed. Lexie's brand is blue, signifying lust. 

Lexie is given a personal guard, Cole, who must watch over her day and night. Those with blue brands don't usually last long, Cole informs Lexie, as they either die of disease or take their own lives. Lexie is given a job at The Hole's hospital, where she learns first hand the true horrors of The Hole – she finds her first patient dead, and others have a strange virus that the doctor can't cure.

As the story continues, we learn more about The Hole, and Lexie's life prior to being accused of sin. The story is told in first-person through Lexie's point of view, and is beautifully written. I raced through Branded quite quickly. I grew to love each and every character, including Cole's dog Zeus, and even shed several tears (okay, I broke down a bit), during some emotional scenes. Though Branded, like all dystopian novels, comments on the serious topic of humanity, it also has many lighthearted moments, and even made me laugh out loud at some points. And yes, there is a love story (and a really great one at that!).

I really enjoyed Branded and am giving it a 4.5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. The ending was fabulous, and definitely got me excited for the next book in the series. The only reason I docked a half star was because the love scenes were just a bit too much for me, and I could have done without some of the details (if you know what I mean). Otherwise, Branded was a fabulous read! I would say more, but as always, I don't want to spoil you one bit. If you love a good dystopian novel, or are simply looking for an action-packed book, I highly recommend Branded. You can purchase the book on Amazon HERE (the Kindle version is just $2.99 if you're on a budget).

Have you read Branded?! Please share your thoughts in the comments!

The book featured in this post was provided for my unbiased review, and the link above is an Amazon Affiliate link. All my opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.