Every You, Every Me

 Every You, Every Me by David Levithan

My rating - 3 out of 5 stars

I am not sure what I thought about this book. The writing style was interesting and different. I kind of liked how he put the story together and how he made the book around photo's. It was very interesting. But I did not like how he used the strike out text. It got very confusing. I think the idea of the novel was really intriguing but I am not sure it was executed well. The whole book was a big mystery from page one. Who is the narrator (it takes almost the whole book to get a feel for him)? What happened to his friend? Is she dead? And the questions just keep coming. This book is a really fast read, but not the best ever.

Heaven is Here

 Heaven is Here by Stephanie Nielson

My rating - 4 out of 5 stars

I am rating this a four because of what a remarkable story this is. This is the true story about Stephanie and the plane crash that burned 80% of her body. She tells us about her life before the accident, a little about the accident itself, and then about the road of recovery and accepting her new life. She truly is a remarkable woman and mother! I have to say though that I had a really hard time connecting with her. I just felt like I couldn't relate to her in any way. Her life seemed so perfect before the accident. I found myself skimming most of the beginning third of the book. I was more inspired by the actual event and how she kept on going afterwards. I enjoyed how she talked about her faith and how it carried her through. I just wish I could have connected with her a little more.

Happy Reading!

The Fifty Shades Trilogy

 Fifty Shades of Grey; Fifty Shades Darker; Fifty Shades Freed

by  E.L. James

My overall rating - 4 out of 5 stars

I decided to read these books mainly because of curiosity. I just had to see what all the fuss was about. I have never ventured into this genre of books and was a little wary but I decided why not? I love to read and so I might as well give everything a try, right? Anyways, while I was reading the books I kept thinking about what I was going to rate it. I had been reading all the other reviews and it seems people either love it or hate it. As we all know, these books have created a lot of controversy. Honestly, at times I loved it and other times I wasn't so sure. Ultimately I decided on 4 stars because I have to say I did enjoy these books. I read all 3 in a little over a week and was completely enthralled with the relationship between Ana and Christian. Christian is such a mysterious guy and I wanted to see if Ana truly could change him. It was obvious that Christian was going to change Ana, but could she pull off the impossible? To be honest, the relationship reminded me of an much more adult version of Twilight (without the vampires of course). Christian definitely reminded me of Edward. Gorgeous, serious, rich, and believes himself to be a heartless monster. And the fact that Christian claims he just couldn't stay away from Ana (sound familiar?). And Ana reminded me of Bella. Innocent, pretty but not in a obvious way, clumsy and ultimately looking for someone to take care of her. Their relationship was just so interesting to me and I found myself excited to see what was going to happen next. Their relationship is filled with drama and there are definitely some intense moments. I definitely could have done with less of the all the sex, but I was obviously expecting it. I also found myself unsure of Christian. I think I like him, under all of his armor. But I don't particularly agree with how controlling his is. I think this is one of the main arguments against this book. Anyways, if you are comfortable venturing out to this genre, definitely give these a try. The relationship is so much fun to read about, and the books definitely get intense at points. If you read the first book (Fifty Shades of Grey) you will definitely have to keep reading the other two. I have to say the first one is probably the best but Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed are not far behind.

Happy Reading!

Before I Go To Sleep

 Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This book was okay. Not the greatest, but overall good. I definitely got bored during the middle of the book though. The beginning starts out really strong and you are definitely drawn in and interested. Then it kind of fizzles in the middle. The last 50 pages or so it picks back up and is actually kind of intense.

Anyways, the book is about Christine. About 20 years ago Christine had a traumatic brain injury and lost her ability to retain memories. Now every time she falls asleep she forgets everything about her life. When she wakes up she doesn't know where she is, how old she is, and who this man is who is claiming to be her husband. Every day she tries to figure out her world and slowly she is remembering strange events. Events that don't exactly match up to what her husband is telling her. Is he keeping things from her? And if he is, how much of what he tells her is the truth?

Happy Reading!!!

Still Alice

 Still Alice by Lisa Genova

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Alice, a Harvard professor, wife and mother of 3 has just been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. Throughout the book we follow her on her journey of figuring out how to live with this awful disease. We see how she is slowly loosing herself and forgetting everything that once was so important to her.

I don't think I will ever look at Alzheimer's the same way. This was a great book! I thoroughly enjoy Lisa Genova's books (she also wrote Left Neglected) and am looking forward to reading more of her.

Beastly

 
 Beastly by Alex Finn
My rating: 2 out of 5 stars

This was okay. I liked the idea of a Beauty and the Beast spin off type thing, but I just found this book to be a little boring. Maybe it is the fact that I already have seen the movie, although it was awhile ago. Anyways....

The book follows Kyle Kingsbury, a rich, good looking, perfect, spoiled teenager. His mother is not in the picture and his father has taught him that good looking people are worth everything, and ugly people are worth nothing. Kyle and his group of friends are ruthless at school to anyone who is less then perfect. But one day all of that catches up with him. A witch cast a spell on him and turned him into a beast. He is now as ugly on the outside as he was on the inside. The only way to break the spell is to kiss a girl who has fallen in love with him.

This was a cute, easy read. Not the best, but it was okay. The movie is entertaining but predictable also.

I Will Cary You: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy by Angie Smith

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Wow! What a incredibly sad book. Literally every time I picked this book I would soon be in tears. But I absolutely loved the faith, hope, love and relationships in this book. I can not imagine going through something like Angie did and I truly admire her strength, courage and faith during such a heartbreaking time.

In this true story, Angie and Todd discover when they are 18 weeks pregnant with their 4th child that the child is not compatible with life. This tragic news throws them through an emotional whirlwind but their strong faith carries them through. They continually look at God and know that He has a plan. Although this plan is not what they want, they have faith in Him. I found it very refreshing to see that even though Angie had a strong faith, she definitely had times with doubt and hatred. How could this be happening to her? I am definitely inspired by this story and even though it is extremely depressing, it is also uplifting.