Book Review | Winger by Andrew Smith

Today's book review is brought to you because of book hype. That's right, I picked up Winger by Andrew Smith purely because of the repeated praise I heard from fellow book lovers. Whether or not that was a good choice will be revealed through this review.

Winger is the story of Ryan Dean West. He's a fourteen-year-old junior in high school, and attends a boarding school where he is two years younger than his classmates. The story is told from Ryan's first-person-perspective, and he tells readers that he ended up in the dormitory for all of the trouble makers because he stole a teacher's cell phone the previous school year.

Ryan Dean is extremely nervous about this new living status. He quickly finds himself in some pretty risky situations, and deals with serious peer pressure from his new bunkmates. As the story continues, readers follow Ryan Dean along his high school journey as he figures out who his friends are. Of course, there is also a love story along the way.

Unfortunately for me, I knew in advance that there was a "big, emotional plot twist" at the end of the novel. Thus, while I was reading Winger, I was looking for hints along the way. It became clear to me quite early in the book what was going to happen at the end, and once I reached that point in the story I was left completely underwhelmed. The ending was thus predictable for me, and that left me with a sour taste in my mouth.

I also strongly disliked Ryan Dean. Many people love him as a character, but I found him extremely annoying and immature. Yes, he does face some bullying and peer pressure, but that is no excuse. Ryan Dean makes all of the wrong decisions in this book, and I couldn't respect him even though he is a young teen who is bound to make poor choices. In addition, I could have done without all of the drawings in the book. I feel like they distracted me from the novel instead of being a helpful addition.

When rating Winger on Goodreads I tried to take into account the fact that the book hype did affect my reading experience. I gave the book a four out of five star rating, because the writing is good and I think if I wasn't anticipating a twist of an ending, I would have enjoyed the read much more. Winger is the first book in a new, young adult contemporary series, so I'm going to reread the book when the sequel is released and give it another chance. I'm hoping in hindsight I'll like the story, and Ryan Dean, much better.

If you've been wondering about Winger, here's my advice: read it with an open mind. Don't look for clues along the way, but enjoy the story in the moment. If you're expecting a shock, you'll most likely be let down as I was. However, Winger is a solid contemporary read, and still deserves a chance. You can purchase Winger on Amazon HERE. The second book in the series Stand-Off is due to be released this January. Please let me know your thoughts on Winger 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 | The Diamond Thief by Sharon Gosling

I was lucky to receive an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Diamond Thief by Sharon Gosling at BookCon earlier this year, and decided to give it a read before it's released in October. The Diamond Thief is a genre-bending, young adult story, and it's like nothing I've ever read!

Our protagonist is Rémy Brunel, a sixteen-year-old trapeze artist who works in a traveling circus. While the circus is in London, the circus master gives her an assignment – she must steal a rare and expensive diamond. Rémy accepts the task, since she and her fellow circus members are all trained to steal as well as perform in the show. But as Rémy goes undercover to scope out the diamond's whereabouts, things don't go according to plan.

The story that follows is full of surprises. The Diamond Thief is part historical fiction, part mystery, part steampunk, part love story, and so on. It truly reaches a variety of genres while still forming a fantastic story with a number of unexpected turns. I was thoroughly impressed with the uniqueness of The Diamond Thief, and Gosling's ability to create an imaginative story.

My only drawback with this book is that the writing is very pragmatic. I can tell it is written for a younger audience, and that took away from my reading experience a bit. With such a mysterious plot, I would have liked a different writing style that showed instead of told. Nonetheless, I give The Diamond Thief a four out of five stars on Goodreads for its ingenuity, and recommend it to younger readers (middle school through high school). The Diamond Thief will be officially released on October 1, 2014, and available for purchase on Amazon HERE.

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 | West Coast Adventures

This past week I traveled from New York to Los Angeles, and subsequently to Las Vegas. It was a great trip, and I had a great time! I've never been to Vegas before, so that was definitely exciting. The top photo above was taken at the top of Reseda Boulevard, where we had an amazing view of the mountains. The second photo is a shot of the Vegas strip that I took from the top of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Resort and Casino. It was a great end to my summer! 

Book Review | Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

Back in May I attended a Teen Panel at Barnes & Nobel Union Square, and one of the authors on the panel was Sarah Mlynowski. She was there to market her latest release, Don't Even Think About It, and even though I knew nothing about the book I decided to pick it up and get it signed. I'm so glad I did!

Don't Even Think About It is a young adult book that is a mix between the contemporary and paranormal genres. It takes place at a New York City high school, when the sophomore class is getting its annual flu shots. Everything is going according to plan, until a few hours after the shots are administered the students start hearing things. It turns out the shots gave the students mind-reading abilities! What follows is a hilarious story told in the first-person plural from the point-of-view of all the students with ESP.

I loved Don't Even Think About It, and finished it in a few hours. Mlynowski's writing is quite easy to read, and I loved how she used the first-person plural to demonstrate how none of the kids have secrets anymore since they can hear each others' thoughts. I also thought it was great that the novel accurately portrayed high school life even with this paranormal spin on the story. There was teenage love, teenage angst, and even though I'm a twenty-something, I still loved the story. I laughed out loud many times, and thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience.

I gave Don't Even Think About It a full 5 star rating on Goodreads, simply because it was a great read and I can't tell you one thing I didn't like about it. This is also the first book in a new series, and I can't wait for the next one to be released. I highly recommend Don't Even Think About It if you're looking for a fun read. You can buy it on Amazon HERE. I look forward to checking out more books by Sarah Mlynowski in the future!

 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 | The Wolf by Lorenzo Carcaterra

I was really excited when I won an advance copy of The Wolf by Lorenzo Carcaterra from Goodreads a few months back. The cover looks amazing, and the plot was definitely intriguing.

The Wolf is a crime novel in which organized crime leader Vincent Marelli (the Wolf) is waging his own war on terror. Marelli's wife and daughters were killed in a terrorist act, and because he doesn't know exactly who is behind the crime, he decides to begin wiping out all of the known terrorists in the world until he can be sure the killers perish. In order to fulfill this goal, Marelli calls together all of the mafia and gang leaders around the world to work with him and attempt to complete his war without causing catastrophic results.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy my reading experience with The Wolf. The first issue was with the points of view in the novel. For most of the story, the book is told from the first person perspective of Marelli. However, at times the perspective will switch to the third person so the reader can get a glimpse at another part of the action. While changing perspectives in a novel can be done well, here it was very confusing. It was never noted when the perspectives would be changing, and there were some chapters where I had to wait a paragraph or two to find out if it was Marelli talking or not. At one point, the story was in the third person, but one paragraph only was written in the first person. I am hoping this was simply an editing mistake that was corrected in the final copy.

I also struggled with The Wolf because Carcaterra is assuming that the reader has some knowledge of organized crime to begin with, which I do not. I found myself a bit lost at points in the story because things weren't explained, but I think someone who is familiar with crime novels regarding the mafia, for example, might not have the same issues. Similarly, I found The Wolf to be very slow-paced, and I was waiting for a lot of the action to happen for much of the book. I was expecting a lot more thriller elements in the story, but even past the halfway point, the story was dragging.

My final issue with this book is that the ending did not wrap up in a way I would have expected. I will not give any spoilers, but I did feel as if this was the first book in a new series. There were many questions left unanswered, and the character's main goal was not fulfilled. As far as I know, The Wolf is a stand-alone novel, but if a second book were to come along I would not find that surprising.

I gave The Wolf a 2 out of 5 star rating on Goodreads. While there were many issues for me in this book, I did think the original plot idea was a great one, and the language itself was easy to read. I also really loved how this book was designed. The cover, title page, and even the font page in the back was very well done. I simply wished I enjoyed the story more and could recommend it to you all! If you've read The Wolf or any of Carcaterra's other books, please let me know your experience in the comments.  

I received this book for free in a giveaway from Goodreads. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Snapshot Sunday | City Clouds

One of my favorite places to take pictures is from the top floor of my apartment building. The laundry room is in the penthouse, so it's great to take a few minutes out on the balcony whenever I go up there. Earlier this week, I was greeted by this amazing partly-cloudy sky and just had to snap a photo. I think the sky looks so cool! No filter needed.

Book Review | Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Ever since I read Attachments by Rainbow Rowell (full review HERE), I've been excited to check out more of her work. I luckily received a free ARC of her newest adult novel, Landline, at BookCon earlier this year, and couldn't wait to read it!

Landline is the story of Georgie McCool. She's a television writer, and she and her writing partner Seth are finally getting their big break. The problem? They need to work through the Chistmas holiday, and Georgie is supposed to go with her husband Neal and their two children to Neal's parents' house in Nebraska. The couple argues, and Neal decides to bring the kids to Nebraska and leave Georgie alone in Los Angeles for the holidays.

While Neal is gone, Georgie tries to reach him on his cell phone several times, but never gets to him. Her marriage seems like it's falling apart, and her parents even think Neal's left her for good. Georgie decides to spend the night with her parents, and digs out an out landline phone that she used to call Neal on when they were dating in college. Georgie dials the landline number at Neal's parents' house, and finally reaches him, but something weird happens. The Neal from 15 years ago picks up the phone! The book follows Georgie as she talks to this Neal from the past, and tries to figure out if she can fix her marriage, or if things are truly over.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but I did have a few issues with it. This story is just over 300 pages, and it took me the first 100 to really get into it. I was actually bored until Chapter 13 came to a close, and then I was hooked. My main issue, though, was that I absolutely hated the character Neal! He was a huge jerk, and had a depressing attitude. I knew that readers were supposed to root for Georgie and Neal to make their marriage work, but because I couldn't stand Neal, part of me wanted them to break up! That said, it would be really interesting to get this story from Neal's point of view. In fact, if Rainbow Rowell wrote that companion novel I'd read it in a second.

Those things aside, Landline was a lovely contemporary read. I love how Rowell includes popular culture references in her books, and it amazes me how at one moment I'm laughing out loud, and at the next I'm nearly crying. The magical realism element in this book was perfectly done as well. Readers will never know for sure whether Georgie was actually talking to the Neal from the past, or if something else was happening. That mystery and intrigue is what makes Landline so special.

I highly recommend Landline if you love the contemporary genre, and think it's a great adult book for readers transitioning out of young adult. It's a very quick read, and one that I hope to pick up again in the future. You can purchase Landline on Amazon HERE, and if you've already read the story, please let me know your thoughts 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.