Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

Summary (from Goodreads):

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

After learning that Fracture was 'For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay' I was practically going into cardiac arrest in the corner of the room at the idea of reading a book like If I Stay again. If I Stay is probably one of the most captivating and emotional YA books I have ever come across so this simple tag line and the very similar cover made me expect Fracture to be a carbon copy of my beloved If I Stay.

It is not.

And funnily enough, that is not actually a bad thing. Other than the genre, the fact both novels have the main character in a coma for a while and that both deal with issues with death in one way or another, Fracture and If I Stay are quite different.

Speaking of death, the most memorable and intriguing parts of Fracture are the arguments brought up by Delaney and Troy nearing the end of the novel about euthanasia and unnecessary suffering.

"What are you doing to her?"
"I'm helping her. I'm easing her suffering."

For a book I judged, and probably many others, after the first couple of chapters to be superficial and teenage angst ridden, Fracture is surprisingly thought provoking and raises many questions about death that could lead to a lot of deep discussion on the matter.

While I scold myself for assuming the whole novel would be a fluffy mess of love triangles and typical teenage problems, I'm not surprised that I didn't expect much more than this after reading the first third/half of Fracture. From the very first page of the novel we are introduced to a character who is apparently the most perfect girl on earth with her intelligence (you are reminded of this of the charts intelligence regularly by the way), hate of popular people even though she hangs with the popular people (you know what I'm talking about) and picture perfect love interests. Yes, love interestS.. not one, not two but three amazingly hot (I am told by the description that that they are all very attractive...) guys who are shown very clearly to only be interested with our Delaney. I know. I rolled my eyes too.

Not only are the readers forced to listen to the tedious and constant internal dialogue of Delaney trying to work out why her best friend, Decker, is acting weirdly to her kissing another guy - spoiler.. actually it's not much of a spoiler, he loves her, we know it, he's known it for forever, everybody around them knows but Delaney... that's just great, another so called intelligent character who happens also to be unbelievably oblivious to everything around her - but there are also some random female characters thrown in to make Delaney look better. For example, we have this girl presented as a slut and inferior to Delaney simply because she likes Decker. Because that makes so much sense.

Saying all this, let's not forget that I did actually enjoy reading Fracture and it is a book that would appeal to those of you who like a splash of mystery in your YA fiction and just a bit of different. The second half of the novel is exciting and the way Miranda veers away from a predictable love triangle is amazing - I definitely didn't expect the way Delaney's love story played out! So, while usually I would say that life is too short to carry on reading a book that you aren't loving, for this little one I would say that it would be wise to stick it out until at least half way... for me, it was worth it.

Music choice: The very realistic dynamics Miranda creates between Delaney and her mother is actually one of my favourite parts of reading Fracture, not to mention the equally realistic snippets of information we receive about Delaney's mother's relationship with her parents. I love this song and it sums up all these parent-child relationships in Fracture... Numb by Linkin Park.

'I've become so numb, I can't feel you there
Become so tired, so much more aware
I'm becoming this, all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you'

itunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/collision-course-ep/id182601259

Review: Model Spy by Shannon Greenland

Summary (from Goodreads):

Teen genius Kelly James is in a lot of hot water. A whiz with computers, she agreed to help her college RA, David, uncover some top-secret information. After all, she doesn't have many friends and David has always been nice to her. It doesn't hurt that he's supercute and irresistible, too. All she has to do is hack into the government's main computer system. But a few hours later, her whole life changes. She is caught and taken in for questioning, only this isn't your run-of-the-mill arrest. Rather than serve a juvenile detention sentence, she accepts the option to change her name and enlist in a secret government spy agency that trains teen agents to go undercover. As if that wasn't overwhelming enough, she discovers that David works for this agency as well! And before she even begins to understand what is going on, she's sent on her first mission as an undercover model. And who better to partner with than David himself!

Model Spy is a very quick read that is, at times ridiculously unrealistic however, it's a book that will put a smile on the reader's face.. either because they're enjoying it or because they're laughing at it. I guess a smile is a smile and reading this little pink mushy fluff ball is guaranteed to leave you with a wide idiotic grin on your face. FACT.

For me, after finding out that Kelly, our protagonist, is a girl with an 190+ IQ who is able to hack into the governments computer system further than anybody else in history and who's only flaw is being clumsy I couldn't take Model Spy seriously. Oh, and did I mention that this girl also happens to look like a 'Victoria Secret model' too?.. Although Kelly is presented as practically perfect, she could be pretty stupid for an incredible smart person and her ability to judge people, promptly placing them into a  neat little labelled box became quite annoying.

Other than Kelly there are many secondary characters Greenland introduces into the novel who are only slightly memorable because of their fun nicknames. Putting nicknames aside all these characters are very one sided and lacking in depth. As this is only the first book in the series the lacking in layers in the very minor characters is forgivable however it would have been nicer to have delved a little deeper into the personalities of important characters, for example David.

Speaking of David, our love interest, the book ends pretty ambiguously, not telling the the readers straight up whether or not David and 'GiGi' (damn, I will never get used to that name.. doesn't it strike you as a tiny chiwawa name?! No? Maybe it's just me...) get together. And that's not such a big deal because if you're truly worried about the outcome of this pretty shallow relationship you'll read the next book in the series and you weren't really interested (*cough**cough* me *cough*) then it didn't really matter where the two went romantically.

What I can say about this book is pretty simple. This book is fun. Silly, entirely unrealistic but fun. And however much it kills me to say this, I actually enjoyed reading this fun, silly book about "spies". What can I say? I have a soft spot for fun and cute. Overall, this book isn't intellectually stimulating at all but it's not supposed to be. If you're looking for a fluffy book that has a cute little meaning about people being more than they often appear to be then Model Spy is actually pretty much perfect.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Music choice: Yes. This played on repeat in my head all throughout reading Model Spy. I'm sorry, okay? I don't know if I'm being sarcastic but here you go, the Mission Impossible theme song.

Review: Hooked by Liz Fichera

Summary (from Goodreads):

When Native American Fredricka ‘Fred’ Oday is invited to become the only girl on the school’s golf team, she can’t say no. This is an opportunity to shine, win a scholarship and go to university, something no one in her family has done. 

But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred.

But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile...

GET HOOKED ON A GIRL NAMED FRED.

After reading a whole lot of mediocre books recently I really wanted a book that well.. hooked me and although at first I was just that, as the book progressed all the originality and intrigue that made me start to fall in love with Fichera's debut YA novel got thrown out of the window.

Fredricka or "Fred" being Native American is definitely a highlight of Hooked, there aren't many - definitely not enough - YA books where the protagonists have culturally diverse backgrounds. The parts about Fred's tribe and rituals are incredibly interesting to read however, while at first Fred's Native American background felt fresh, throughout most of the book I strongly felt like the only reason Fichera decided to make Fred Native American was to solely emphasise the difference between Fred and Ryan.

Fred as a protagonist is not bad but she isn't exactly the strongest of characters, letting people constantly talk about her and make fun of her because of her ethnicity and not doing a single thing to defend herself. This was fairly irritating but on a whole, Fred's passion for golf and love for her family could warm even the coldest of hearts. There's also something about Fred's relationship with her brother that is incredibly sweet and adorable to read about.

Ryan, on the other hand is unfortunately our love interest and is your stereotypical spoiled rich boy.. quite simply, he is a douche. This would have been fine, if Ryan was presented as a spoiled rich boy at the beginning of the novel who then slowly revealed more depth to his personality and was shown to improve in character. But Ryan doesn't really develop as a character, all that appears to happen is that he falls for a girl who everyone thinks is 'different' and so he does a couple of sweet things to make her like him. That is pretty basic protocol, right? When a person likes another person they do sweet things to "win" them over but that doesn't mean they've improved as a person and in this case, a character.

There's a part where Ryan says 'Who fences?' and I could help but laugh and think 'that's rich, do people play golf? Teenagers play golf? There are such things as schools with golf teams.. really?!'. I'm sure teenagers do play golf (evidently, as the book is about golf playing teenagers...) and I'm even more sure that many people play golf but once you dislike somebody it's hard not to find everything they say annoying.

Overall, fairly mixed feelings concerning Hooked, it's definitely not a book that I'd say you should stay clear of but similarly it's not a book that I would go out of my way to recommend. The premise of the book is different, I might say that the author is trying too hard to be different from popular YA fiction with the not-seen-before golf playing teenagers and Native American protagonist but even though there are different elements to the novel, when stripped back to bare bones, this book is your typical YA book with two completely different people falling in love despite the opposition they gain from friends, family and social expectations. Is that a good or bad thing?.. I guess you'll have to be the judge of that.

(WARNING: This is a pretty dramatic book.This is classed as Realistic Fiction and there are parts where it is pretty much bordering on unrealistic however.. I didn't have a problem with it.)

Thank you HarlequinTeen and Netgalley for providing me with a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Music Choice: The one thing that truly surprised me - and irritated me - was the extremely large amount of prejudice against Fred's tribe and how much people looked down on Native Americans in not only the school but the whole town.. all I could think while reading was 'Where is the love?' so here you go, Where Is The Love by The Black Eyed Peas.

itunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/where-is-the-love-ep/id18334941

Review: The Back Door of Midnight by Elizabeth Chandler

Summary (from Goodreads):

Psychic...or psychotic? 

Anna knows her family is crazy. But when she goes to visit her aunt and uncle for the summer and learns that her uncle’s charred body has been found, her life reaches a new level of insanity. Her erratic aunt’s “psychic” abilities are exaggerated by her grief, and have become borderline violent. Alone in an unfamiliar town, Anna struggles to pick up the pieces and establish any sense of normalcy. She desperately wants to trust Zack, the cute boy next door, but even he might know more about the incident than he is letting on. 

But when Anna starts feeling an inexplicable pull to the site of her uncle’s murder, she begins to believe that her family’s supernatural gifts are real after all. Torn between loyalty and suspicion, Anna is certain of only one thing: she must discover who killed her uncle or she could be next....

There are different reasons for reading books, sometimes to simply appreciate the beauty of the writing, sometimes to learn something, sometimes to open your mind to new ideas... there are tons of reasons. My reason for reading this one was pretty simple, I needed an escape, all I was doing for weeks was revising and needed a book that I could read for a couple of minutes a day and feel relief, escape.

I wanted fluff. Complete and utter fluff. Nothing that would make me think too hard but also, nothing stupid, sexist or damn annoying which would make me very, very angry. The Back Door of Midnight ticked all the boxes, Chandler is a great Young Adult author and I would definitely recommend this book if you're in dire need of escape or if you just enjoy a cute book because... that's just it: The Back Door of Midnight is a cute mystery with a slightly dark feel and a touch of romance thrown in for good measure.

Anna is a likeable protagonist who goes through a lot but is still able to work through her problems with a clear head. It was a little strange how little the death of Anna's uncle affected her but if Anna was a real person, I would totally be okay with talking to her and being friends (I have now decided I'm putting female protagonists into one of two categories when I read a book, either yes, we could be friends or no, she should just remain a fictional character forever). The romance is a little underdeveloped and the love interest, Zack, is a bit of a douche if I'm being perfectly honest.

However, the plot makes up for the slightly disappointing love story, it was fun to guess who the murderer was and how all the characters were connected. It was shocking when the killer was revealed! This could be because I really wasn't thinking too much when reading The Back Door of Midnight or because I haven't had much experience in reading mysteries but whatever the reasoning behind why I was shocked, I was shocked all the same.

If I had read this book at a different time I probably would've automatically disliked The Back Door of Midnight for the lack of character development and disappointing romance however not being completely invested in the characters made putting down the book more easy to do when I really needed to revise. You would think that it would be hard to pick up the book again for the same reason but I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and the overall feel of the book is pretty original; both fluffy and dark at the same time.

In one sentence? The Back Door of Midnight is an entertaining read.

Music choice:  This is probably a very shocking pick but I think it works, The Back Door of Midnight isn't as light as this song but nevertheless, this song.. Shocked by Kylie Minogue. :) 

itunes link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/shocked/id317396969 

Review: A Shimmer of Angels by Lisa M. Basso

Summary (from Goodreads):
Sixteen-year-old Rayna sees angels, and has the medication and weekly therapy sessions to prove it. Now, in remission, Rayna starts fresh at a new school, lands a new job, and desperately tries for normalcy. She ignores signs that she may be slipping into the world she has tried so hard to climb out of. But these days, it’s more than just hallucinations that keep Rayna up at night. Students are dying, and she may be the only one who can stop it. Can she keep her job, her sanity, and her friends from dying at the hands of angels she can't admit to seeing?

It's not easy to write a YA adult book about angels that's fresh and hasn't been done many a times before and, although there were elements of originality in A Shimmer of Angels, overall there isn't a great deal about the novel that makes it stand out against all the other angel books out there.

The writing is probably the best part of A Shimmer of Angels, it's easy to read, and while it isn't amazing literature that brought be tears it is light and fitting to the genre of the book. It's the sort of writing that made me want to carry on reading and find out what happened next story line wise.

The plot is pretty different actually. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that A Shimmer of Angels didn't have a completely generic story line. It was really quite enthralling the way Basso weaved in students' suicides with your typical demon-angel-fallen-angel plot. Together with interesting family dynamics and a teenage girl that everybody thinks is completely crazy and you've got yourself a plot that incites the reader successfully.

I liked Rayna, she isn't the best protagonist but she's a likable one that made me sympathise with her situation and care for her.. even though there were moments where I rolled my eyes at her judgemental ways (calling girls slutty for wearing skimpy clothing on Halloween.. Do you know them Rayna? Do you?). Anyways, yes, she's a little whiny and discloses information at bad times I would say (is it that hard to keep a secret when your safety is on the line?) but I didn't have a problem reading from her point of view.

The characters, on a whole, aren't that well developed, the parts about Rayna's best friend are sweet but he wasn't in the book enough for me to get a solid picture of him in my mind, there wasn't any layers to the character, just a nerdy guy who likes Doctor Who. We are told he's the best friend and that's just about it.

The same can be said for the love triangle. Honestly, the love triangle is what really ruined the book for me, it's written with Rayna spending substantially more time with one of the love interests, sharing more thoughts and fears with the same love interest so it would make sense if she fell for this guy, yes? No. Apparently, having an instant connection (although he leaves her when she really needs him) at the beginning of the book and spending next to no time with them ends with you professing your love to them by the end. That makes complete sense(!)

Speaking of sense, Rayna being locked away for three years for seeing angels a couple times doesn't really make sense either... but I'm being picky now. Yes, there were a couple of plot holes, yes, the love triangle irritated me to no end but I liked reading A Shimmer of Angels (as hard as that may be to believe) and I look forward to reading the sequel.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Music choice: I watched Raise Your Voice the other day (again) because I'm a sucker for cheesy chick-flick-romancey movies (don't judge me) and I remember the song that Hilary Duff sings at the end and I think it fits perfectly with this book. 
'Seen that ray of light
And it's shining on my destiny'

'It doesn't matter what people say
And it doesn't matter how long it takes
Believe in yourself and you'll fly high
And it only matters how true you are
Be true to yourself and follow your heart'

This is Someone's Watching Over Me by Hilary Duff.

itunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hilary-duff/id28007785