#27 Twilight By Stephenie Meyer

#27- Twilight 

Rating- 8/10

Let me just start this off by saying how large of a fan of twilight that I was in early high school. I read twilight the first year that it came out and waited for the following books in the subsequent years. Obsessed would be putting it lightly, I loved this book. I had this book sitting on my nightstand for years and would read the pages over and over again to fall asleep. For those reasons, it still gets a high review.

Since I have now graduated high school and was welcomed into a larger amount of literature and some more mature books, this book has fallen through the cracks in my brain and i've realized that while it was a high school love affair, its not a very well written book and has many characters whom I am forced to grimace through reading. 

Twilight (for those of you who have liven under a rock for the past few years and somehow dont know the actual plot line from screaming twihard fans) is about a girl named Bella Swan and the year that she moves to Forks Washington to live with her father instead of her mother. In the first few chapters we are introduced to her father, and friends of the family. They bring along Jacob Black (remember this name, he becomes important in books to follow, more so than this one) who used to be childhood friends with Bella and now has a massive crush on her. Who can blame him? A relatively clumsy girl who doesnt realize that behind her awkward smile is a beauty in the making. Of course. After this we go meet her friends at school, characters who aren't a massive plot point and therefore I wont take the time meeting them. One day at lunch, in walks the Cullen clan. The whispers about them include that they are all orphans, adopted by the doctor in town and each and every one of them is more beautiful than the last. They are all paired off into couples, that is, everyone except for Edward Cullen. The mysterious pale faced beautiful boy who most every girl in school is interested in dating, even though his cold demeanor has kept girls away for his entire stay at Forks. If it wasnt obvious enough by now, Bella and Edward meet, and although its strictly forbidden, Edward confides in Bella and tells her that... wait for it... he is a vampire! They continue on their whirlwind of a romance story, with a few dramatic vampire fight scenes in between the love.

Now, after reading that description, if you havent guessed at this point that I am Team Jacob, I guess I was writing a bit less harsh than I had intended. I have never been a fan of Edward Cullen, I think he is massively overrated and have always been more of a fan of Jacob. If you havent heard of the fandom and dont know, Jacob is also a mysterious creature, although he is not immortal and will grow up one day and could give Bella a family and children and they could die at the same age. Any how. Thats my review. Probably the strangest jumpiest of all of them, because its impossible to write a quick review on a book that has now become one of the most spoken about books of the past few years. 

If you havent read this, or havent seen the movies (I mean come on, seriously? do you live on antarctica?) I do suggest reading them. I was especially a fan of the second and third books, where we really get to understand just how difficult it is to date a vampire. Team Jacob. Sorry, 13 year old me just cant keep quiet about this one. 

“About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him-and I didn’t know how potent that part might be-that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.” 

#97- Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

#97- Shiver

Rating-7.5/10

I really enjoyed this book and the only reason that i'm marking it down a bit is because its tragically cliche idea of a girl falling in love with a supernatural creature. Sorry, no matter how great your writing is, its not good enough to get a 10/10 with a supernatural main character in my eyes.

Shiver is about a girl named Grace, and her romantic interest a wolf named Sam. Thinking to yourself that wolves don't typically have names or girlfriends? Well if he is a werewolf and written in a book for teens then he probably has both!

Grace has always had a fascination with the wolves since as a little girl she was almost killed by them. After a few wolves dragged her from her backyard and tried to kill her, she has always had a soft spot for the one wolf that protected her from her untimely death.

She watches this wolf from her tire swing every single day and longs for it to be winter so that he will come back again. The reason that he isnt around during summer is because... wait for it... during the summer he turns into a human! She isnt aware of this, that is until he shows up on her back porch one day after being shot, in human form, during the winter.

If this isnt dramatic enough for y'all she then has to take him to the hospital, look into his eyes, and realize that this boy is in fact her wolf. After admitting this to her and telling her the entire story they go into a whirlwind of romance all while avoiding the cold that will eventually turn him back into his furry form.

Can Sam live in his invincible summer girl world forever? Or will the icy winter pull these two apart? 

So I know that I did give this book grief for the cliche manner of girl falls for werewolf. But to its fairness I really did enjoy reading it. I like the characters, like the story line, and ultimately liked them together even though it was a bit bizarre. Plus there was enough drama to keep me continually reading the pages and wanting to finish the book. Not only that but I went and bought the second book immediately even though I had made a rule previously to only read the first book of every series, or fall into the everlasting pit of series books being read forever and ever and never finishing this project.

Anyhow, its worth the read and goes somewhere in the middle of all of the books that I've read so far throughout this.

“You're beautiful and sad," I said finally, not looking at him when I did. "Just like your eyes. You're like a song that I heard when I was a little kid but forgot I knew until I heard it again." For a long moment there was only the whirring sound of the tires on the road, and then Sam said softly, "Thank you.” 

#95- This Lullaby By Sarah Dessen

#95- This Lullaby

Rating-8/10

After re-reading the Sarah Dessen book The Truth About Forever earlier this week I was inspired to re-read all of her other books on the list (she has four on the list, and several others that I think should be on there... not the point though) so I chose this one and read it all in one night, thats my favorite part about her books, they are typically between 200-300 pages and a really easy read.

This Lullaby is about a girl named Remy, her three best friends; Chloe, Lissa, and Jess, and the adventures that they have the summer after graduation. Remy likes to call this period, the in-between period, and the goal of this period is to have as much fun as possible, while having no boyfriend to tie her down. She sets out on the day of graduation to end things with her short-term boyfriend. She figures that since school is starting in the fall and she will be moving to CA to go to Stanford anyways that she might as well have her fun during this summer. As she goes to break up with him, she finds out that he had been cheating on her. Not a huge surprise since Remy doesnt really believe in love anyways. Her mother, world famous romance novelist Barbara Starr, was already divorced from her father by the time she was pregnant. Her father was a musician, who on the day of her birth, wrote his one hit wonder, 'This Lullaby'. He died two years later, leaving Remy with only bitter feelings and the song that became his namesake.

As with all Sarah Dessen books (which i'm totally a sucker for) the main character is likely to change her ways when a mysterious stranger shows up for the summer and wants to know the girl behind the facade. This novel, Remy meets a boy named Dexter, he is clumsy, gangly, and lead singer of a band. Someone that Remy would never go for, he doesnt follow her six week date and dump script. But Dexter is relentless, and he makes this one summer that Remy and her friends are sure to remember forever.

I wouldn't say that this is my favorite of all of the Dessen books, I dont personally connect with the character as much as others and because of this while it was a great story, I didnt feel moved or affected when it was over. Just a nice distraction and a good read. That being said, its still totally worth reading and I would suggest it to anyone who feels like a bit of romantic reading with a side of alcohol and band groupies. 

“Some things don't last forever, but some things do. Like a good song, or a good book, or a good memory you can take out and unfold in your darkest times, pressing down on the corners and peering in close, hoping you still recognize the person you see there.” 

#64 The Truth About Forever By Sarah Dessen

#64- The Truth About Forever

Rating- 9/10

I have been reading Sarah Dessen books for about as long as I can remember, and having read this one a while back I decided to re-read it while on my trip this week in order to make a better review.

The Truth About Forever follows a girl named Macy and her struggle after losing her father. Macy and her father have always bonded over their shared love of running, all of hat changes when one morning he wakes her up bright and early and she turns over and is too sleepy to go as usual. About five minutes later she changes her mind, slips on her shoes and heads out the door. She never expected that when she caught up to him he would be lying on the sidewalk getting CPR from a helpful passerby. Despite the best of efforts, her father dies that day.

The book starts nearly a year and a half after that day, we are introduced to Macy's boyfriend Jason within the first chapter. Jason is perfect in every sense of the word, he is on student council, wins all of his academic debates and decathlons, maintains a perfect GPA and works part time at the library information desk. To Macy he signifies order and perfection in her world of chaos. 

That is until summer rolls around, Jason leaves for brain camp (as Macy calls it, on the packing list includes calculators and laptops so I imagine its very smart) and sends an email a week later saying that they need to take a break and see whether their futures have the same ideas. (He's a very calculated person, sending an unemotional email and freaking out because Macy told him he loved him after a year and a half of dating. Seems like a dud to me, Macy obviously doesnt feel the same way)

The night of the email Macy works for her mother at an event and meets the people that will change her life, Wish catering company. Delia, the very pregnant owner with child in tow is having an awful night, her workers are being efficient enough and shes flustered, Macy comes to the rescue and ends up working the event with them.

After that night, she somehow gets roped into working for the catering company even more, meeting Kristy; a beautiful girl whose life was almost taken in a car crash as a child, although she has scars on her face she thinks of everything in life in the most optimistic of ways. Monica; Kristy's sister who is very soft-spoken and has the nickname of monotone. Bert; Delia's nephew who believes in armagedon and the idea of crazy things. Then there is Wes; Delia's oldest nephew, after some run-ins with the law he was sent to a reform school and when he returns his spirit is changed, choosing artistic means to get his feelings out.

Working in the chaos of the catering company helps Macy come to terms with both growing up and growing over her grief. While also making new friendships and a bit of romance along the way.

I really enjoyed this book, I started it in the airport before my flight and finished it by the time I landed back in California. Only a few hours later. It was a quick easy read and I really felt the characters emotions throughout the novel. At first I was under the impression that this was the kind of book where the boyfriend goes to camp and the girl falls in love with the mysterious stranger she meets over the summer and I was pissed, in fact I almost stopped at page 37... then she got the email from Jason about the break and I immediately felt better about it. Thanks to Dessen for not being too cliche and helping people think that cheating was okay! (thats my hugest book pet peeve, love is not an excuse to cheat. sorry)

Overall this book was a treat, one that I was able to gobble up very quickly.

“It's just that...I just think that some things are meant to be broken. Imperfect. Chaotic. It's the universe's way of providing contrast, you know? There have to be a few holes in the road. It's how life is.”