Review: Seven Up by Janet Evanovich

Title: Seven Up
Author: Janet Evanovich
Series: Stephanie Plum (#7)
Release Date: June 19, 2001
Pages: 337
Genres: Mystery, Adult, Contemporary
Source: Own



BLOWN UP
All New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has to do is bring in semi-retired bail jumper Eddie DeChooch. For an old man he's still got a knack for slipping out of sight--and raising hell. How else can Stephanie explain the bullet-riddled corpse in Eddie's garden? Who else would have a clue as to why two of Stephanie's friends suddenly vanished? For answers Stephanie has the devil to pay: her mentor, Ranger. The deal? He'll give Stephanie all the help she needs--if she gives him everything he wants...

MESSED UP

As if things weren't complicated enough, Stephanie's just discovered her Grandma Mazur's own unmentionable alliance with Eddie. Add a series of unnerving break-ins, not to mention the bombshell revelation leveled by Stephanie's estranged sister, and Stephanie's ready for some good news. Unfortunately, a marriage proposal from Joe Morelli, the love of her life, isn't quite cutting it. And now--murder, a randy paramour, a wily mobster, death threats, extortion, and a triple kidnapping aside--Stephanie's really got the urge to run for her life...



The next installment to Stephanie Plum's adventures as a bounty hunter was nothing short of entertaining, however, by the end of the book, I felt like it was nothing more than a filler to the series. There were times when the plot felt like it was going in circles with the only difference being an added headache for Stephanie. Once again she finds herself struggling to bring in a seemingly easy client of Vinnie's, but to her dismay, she finds herself in the middle of a mystery that starts with two people disappearing out of thin air. With the help of Morelli, Ranger, and Lula she gets to the bottom of things while hilarity ensues. In addition to trying to figure out what is going on, she is fighting with her internal feelings about Joe Morelli and her physical feelings about Ranger. Even with everything that was going on with the characters, I felt like nothing of real substance happened in this book. By the end, it felt like all that happened was a solved mystery with all the characters reversing to where they were on page 1. 

However, with all that being said, it's still an enjoyable read that made me smile and laugh throughout. I've said it before about Janet Evanovich, and I'll say it again...she knows how to write a series that feels like it's an episode of a sitcom that you can't wait to tune into. Even when the overall plot feels lackluster, I still got a kick out of watching the events involving everyone in this universe. If you enjoy Janet Evanovich and this series, then I promise you'll find enjoyment in Seven Up. Here's to hoping for some development in Hard Eight.


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Review: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Title: Me Before You
Author: Jojo Moyes
Series: Me Before You (#1)
Release Date: December 31, 2012
Pages: 369
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Own



Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.



Oh man my heart is still aching from this novel. I'm going to keep this as spoiler free as possible while I attempt to portray just how freaking amazing it is. I had seen this book floating around and I wasn't sure what it was about. As you all know, it was made into a movie and it wasn't until after I watched the trailer that I knew I needed to get my hands on this book. I was not disappointed one bit.

All of the characters were so well written and constructed, and I feel like this is the first time that I still strongly remember each one individually days after finishing the book. Each was unique and brought their own piece to the story of Will and Lou. Even though the story revolved around the relationship between WIll and Lou, the other characters had their own issues and struggles during the book. I felt like Jojo did a fantastic job with not cutting corners with her character development and that made this book stand out from so many other novels.

Me Before You not only told a fantastic love story, but it was also able to shine light on how those with disabilities are forced to live their lives. You saw how Will, Lou, and Nathan (his nurse) ran into struggles doing things that you and I wouldn't even think twice about. How much you have to worry about and how many obstacles appear. This story is extremely eye opening when it comes to disabilities and I applaud Jojo for giving a stage for the issue.

This instantly made my list of all time favorite books and I look forward to picking up more of Jojo's other novels. Me Before You is definitely worthy of the hype right now.


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Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Series: Anna and the French Kiss (#1)
Release Date: July 16, 2013
Pages: 372
Genres: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Own



Can Anna find love in the City of Light?

Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she's less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year.

But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken —and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she's waiting for?




Three words. Oh! My! God!! This book was absolutely phenomenal!! Every sentence, word, and letter was just perfect and I haven't fallen in love with a YA Contemporary like I did this book in what feels like forever!! I couldn't get enough of this book, and I would have read it in one sitting if I didn't have to go to bed for class the next day.

I've seen this book all over Goodreads and Booktube but I had never heard of Stephanie so even though everyone was raving and ranting about it, I just kept it on the back burner. Well I can now say that all of the hype is well placed and if you love this genre than you need to read this book....like yesterday!

I was able to connect with Anna so much in this story and I knew exactly how she was feeling with all of the struggles she was going through on some level. I know what its like to be the new kid and be so shy and afraid that you decide to just sit back in the shadows because your more than comfortable there. I felt like I was reading my whole senior year of high school (you know minus the whole boarding school in Paris bit). Being able to relate to Anna on such a personal level make this book all the more enjoyable.

Even though the setting of this whole book was a boarding school, I felt like it didn't push most of the readers away in terms of reliability. So many times this setting will make it so extremely hard to connect (I'm looking at you Gossip, Girl) that it almost seems ridiculous. But this was definitely not an issue in Stephanie's writing.

Something else that I really enjoyed about Anna is that even though there was an obvious attraction between the two characters from the start, the whole story didn't focus on just that. As the story and the school year progressed you watched as Anna grew and came out of her shell. She went from being a scared new girl to an independent Parisian (or as close to it as she could get).

I wish I had picked this book up sooner because it instantly became one of my favorites of all time. I'm looking forward to see how Etienne and Anna make an appearance in Lola and the Boy Next Door!

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Review: Star Wars, Volume 1: Skywalker Strikes by Jason Aaron

Title: Star Wars: Skywalker Strikes
Author: Jason Aaron
Illustrated: John Cassady and Laura Martin
Series: Star Wars (Volume #1)
Release Date: October 6, 2015
Pages: 160
Genres: Comic Book, Sci-Fi
Source: Own



The greatest space adventure of all returns to Marvel! Luke Skywalker and the ragtag rebels opposing the Galactic Empire are fresh off their biggest victory so far — the destruction of the massive Death Star. But the Empire’s not toppled yet! Join Luke, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2 and the rest of the Rebel Alliance as they fight for freedom against Darth Vader and his evil master, the Emperor! But when a Rebel assault goes wrong, Han and Leia must think fast to make their escape — while Luke comes face-to-face with Darth Vader! In the explosive aftermath, a humbled Luke returns to Tatooine to learn more about his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Meanwhile, Leia and Han undertake a vital — and dangerous — secret mission. But can they succeed without Luke? Plus: the menace of Boba Fett!

A goal of mine is to read more comics and graphic novels this year and I couldn't have picked a better one to start with. I absolutely love Star Wars and reading this comic was so much fun. The writing was witty and there were many moments where I was laughing out loud. I loved how many of the original characters made an appearance in this volume - you had the gang of Han, Luke, Leia, Chewie, R2-D2, and C3PO as well as Darth Vader, Jabba, and Bobba Fett.

So I'm guessing that this comic book ties in the events that happened after A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, and that this story line is what Jason Aaron imagined to happen between the two movies. I think he did a great job with creating a story line that doesn't seem to be out of place when compared to the movies, and I honestly can't wait to see how the stories continue in Volume 2.

The artwork in this comic is something that I have to praise as well! The illustrators, John Cassady and Laura Martin did a phenomenal job. The images were stunning to look at and perfectly captured what the actors looked like in the original trilogy. This comic book was just hands down amazing and I highly suggest it if you enjoy Star Wars, even if you haven't read a comic book before!



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Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Title: Scarlet
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles (#2)
Release Date: February 5, 2013
Pages: 452
Genres: YA, Dystopian, Sci-Fi, Romance
Source: Library


Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.


**CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM CINDER**

Marissa Meyer has done it again! I absolutely love the way she is able to turn a beloved fairytale and make it unique and her own. For some reason I didn't think that we would get much Cinder in this book and I am extremely happy that I couldn't be more wrong. I absolutely love Scarlet and I couldn't be happier with her introduction to this saga. Whereas Cinder was a lot more timid and shy in her book, Scarlet from the start was headstrong and not afraid of going after those who kidnapped her grandmother. She was ready for whatever she might face, and I absolutely loved that about her.

The story of Scarlet continues pretty much right after the events of Cinder and when you see Cinder again she is in the middle of breaking out of New Beijing after being thrown in there by Kai and Queen Levana. She meets and teams up with another prisoner "Captain" Carswell Thorne. He was probably my favorite new addition, besides Scarlet. He was overall hilarious and gave a handful of comedic relief to the story.

Wolf, a street-fighter that Scarlet meets and gets help from, was the main love interest in this story. He was dark, mysterious, and extremely broody but I really enjoyed him. The blossoming relationship between him and Scarlet was definitely swoon-worthy at times and I couldn't help but feel giddy. 

I really loved how the book was broken down between what was happening with Scarlet and Cinder, but even though it felt like separate story arcs, the two molded into one flawlessly. This book was a great continuation of Cinder and I cannot wait until I get my hands on Cress. I'm interested to see how another main character is introduced and how Cress' storyline will tie into Cinder's and Scarlet's. This series is quickly becoming one of my favorites!

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Review: Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Onyx
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Lux (#2)
Release Date: August 14, 2012
Pages: 366
Genres: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Source: Bought



Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will sin lurvive the lies…



So If you don't follow my booktube channel than odds are you didn't see my video on my top 3 books that I read in 2015. Well Obsidian, the entry novel for this series, was on that list. This book will most likely end up on this years list because, well phenomenal is an understatement.  

Daemon and Katy both had some extremely annoying traits in Obsidian and it was part of the reason why I had only rated that book a 4.5 stars rather than a 5. However, Jennifer was able to make me fall absolutely in love with both of them in this story. Daemon really let his emotions out in this book and there were times when I thought I was falling in love with this fictional character. He still maintained that badass persona that he possessed in Obsidian, but he didn't hide how he truly felt about Katy. Talk about swoon-worthy! *insert heart-eyed emoji* As for Katy, I felt like I was able to relate to her a lot more in this book and she didn't drive me up the wall. I loved how you got to enjoy more of her book blogging in this book than in the first one- and as a book blogger myself how could I not love that aspect! 

Katy had to deal with quite a bit in this story, definitely more so than in Obsidian, and I enjoyed how she grew as a character and tried to fight her way out of being the damsel in distress. I can't wait to see how she continues to progress throughout the rest of the novels and how things end.

There was a lot less Dee which saddened me because I really enjoy her character, but it all made sense as you continued to read the book. There was an introduction of a new character in this book, Simon, and the plot that started to involve him really got interested and had me on the edge of my seat. There is a love triangle aspect in Onyx, but I thoroughly enjoyed that Jennifer didn't force it too much. It created that story line but it didn't overshadow the rest of the events that were happening. 

There were some twists that happened in this book that I ended up figuring out, but that didn't take away from the excitement that Onyx presented. I also found myself crying at times because Jennifer decided to hit the reader with a lot of emotions in the end. All in all this book was a phenomenal chapter to this saga and I am going to be continuing it in the very near future.  

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Review: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Title: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Author: Douglas Adams
Series: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #1
Release Date: October 12, 1979
Pages: 216
Genres: Adult, Science Fiction
Source: Library



Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.

Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he bought over the years.







This book was absolutely glorious! I wish I hadn't waited so long to indulge in this book but I guess it's better late than never. From the very start, the humor is witty and the writing style feels like a comic book in a way. I was laughing out loud multiple times throughout the entire book and I flew right through it. All of the characters are unique, and my favorite has to be Marvin the depressed android. 

This book, even though it's fairly short, sets a great tone as to what's to come in the rest of the series. I honestly felt like I was watching a great sitcom that takes place in outer space while flipping through the pages of this book. And there are events that seem so random but I didn't feel like it was being forced - everything just flowed nicely to create one hell of an episode. 

I am definitely going to be reading the rest of this series and I can only hope that each installment will continue being as fantastic as the first. 


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