Forget Me by K.A. Harrington

Forget Me by K.A. Harrington
Release Date: August 7, 2014
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Pages: 288
Series: n/a
Review Source: ARC from Razorbill Canada

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

An edge-of-your seat psychological thriller with a romantic twist

On the three-month anniversary of her boyfriend Flynn’s death, Morgan uploads her only photo of him to FriendShare to get some closure—but she’s shocked when the facial recognition software suggests she tag him as "Evan Murphy." She’s never heard of Evan, but a quick search tells her that he lives in a nearby town and looks exactly like Flynn. Only this boy is very much alive.

Digging through layers of secrets and lies, Morgan is left questioning everything she thought she knew about her boyfriend, her town, and even her parents' involvement in this massive web of lies.

My Thoughts:
I was extremely intrigued by the concept of this book from the first time I heard of it. The very basic premise could have gone so many ways, which I really liked because it made it hard to predict. Forget Me is a straight up contemporary mystery/thriller, which we don’t see a lot of in YA. I can’t talk too much about the plot because it’s incredibly twisty, and it’s more like journey that you need to experience for yourself. What I can say is that I thought the author did a great job. The story ties together in such an interesting way. I loved the mystery solving aspect and how it made sense that teens were the ones doing the detective work, figuring out if there was some kind of conspiracy.

Forget Me has an eerie feel to it, especially at the beginning when you have no clue what's going on. Granted, I started reading it late at night, but an abandoned mini golf course is genuinely creepy. Most of all, though, an abandoned amusement park. Can you say fun house mirrors?! The book has some definite pull the covers up to your chin moments.

There are a lot of great aspects to this book, with one of my favourite parts being the friendship between Morgan and Toni. I love celebrating awesome female friendships. Both girls here felt like fully realized characters, and they were unflinchingly supportive of and loving to one another.

Overall? I found Forget Me to be a very intriguing and satisfying read.

The Cover:
Like! Perfect creepiness. (Although I have to admit when I see a smaller version I keep thinking the carousel is a boat.)

Rating:
[4/5]

Purchase Links:
Kobo | Amazon.ca | Amazon.com | Chapters-Indigo | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Harder by Robin York (Tour Review + Giveaway)

Harder by Robin York
Release Date: July 1, 2014
Publisher: Bantam
Pages: 352
Series: Caroline & West #2
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

In Robin York’s provocative new novel, two young ex-lovers find themselves together again in the shadow of tragedy—and an intense, undeniable attraction.

Caroline still dreams about West. His warm skin, his taut muscles, his hand sliding down her stomach. Then she wakes up and she’s back to reality: West is gone. And before he left, he broke her heart.

Then, out of the blue, West calls in crisis. A tragedy has hit his family—a family that’s already a fractured mess. Caroline knows what she has to do. Without discussion, without stopping to think, she’s on a plane, flying to his side to support him in any way he needs.

They’re together again, but things are totally different. West looks edgy, angry at the world. Caroline doesn’t fit in. She should be back in Iowa, finalizing her civil suit against the ex-boyfriend who posted their explicit pictures on a revenge porn website. But here she is. Deeply into West, wrapped up in him, in love with him. Still.

They fought the odds once. Losing each other was hard. But finding their way back to each other couldn’t be harder.

My Thoughts:
I liked Robin York’s New Adult debut, Deeper, and I very much enjoyed this second installment as well. That being said, the beginning of this book (perhaps the first third or more?) is brutal to read. It’s really dark and twisty and hard to take. Seriously, Robin York: rip my heart out, why don't you?! To put it bluntly, the book starts with some serious shit going on. It was difficult to read about how much West hates himself and how determined he was to push Caroline away. What he’s been through is A LOT (like, capital letters necessary for emphasis A LOT), but there’s this thing he does to Caroline, and… it may be the worst thing I’ve read in a book for a “hero” to do to the “heroine”. Seriously, it’s really a make it or break it situation, and I can see a lot of readers throwing down the book because of it. I got through it, but I honestly didn't really accept it or forgive it, either.

So, Caroline. If I was Caroline, I definitely wouldn’t have forgiven West or understood him, but I guess that’s the beauty of West and Caroline. On the one hand I, as a reader, was so offended on her behalf. I wanted her to react differently, to rage and kick up a fuss. But I’m also really interested and glad that she didn’t react that way, because that’s not Caroline. Caroline is a constant surprise to me. It’s not that she’s a robot with no feelings, but but she understands West and his motivations. She's willing to look past things, she's willing to forgive him, but she's also not going to take anything from him. Caroline challenges West to be a bigger and better man, and even though she's hurt by his actions, she doesn't let him get away with pushing her away. I admire Caroline, because she’s very complex, and she interests me because her process for everything is so different from mine.

Somehow, despite all the darkness in this book, I really feel like Caroline and West are MEANT TO BE. I liked the journey of them trying to be together, navigating the darkness and finding their way back to one another. Deeper is really about Caroline finding her way, while Harder is about West finding his. In both stories they find their own way, but have each other to lean on, and I really like that. Another great aspect is West with his little sister. I love how Robin York didn’t write everything as perfect, that because they were together as a family everything was suddenly great. I liked that there were issues and that West was impatient and overbearing at times. It was so fitting that West wanted to control everything about his sister’s life, to make it good in the only way he knew how. He feels like his sister is the one thing that redeems him. Besides Caroline, she's the one good part of his life.

I also appreciated that Harder continued on with the revenge porn plot of the first book, with Caroline finding some justice, in a different way than she first intended. I liked that Caroline’s personality shone through in this way as well, that she uses her ambition and her smarts, that she figures out to stand on her own, separate from what her father wants. Deeper and Harder are not easy reads at all, but they are important ones. They take angst and forbidden romance and the college setting of New Adult and bring everything to a higher intellectual level, with real, important issues being discussed within the pages. They’re books about rising above tough situations, about putting painful pasts behind, about finding the things and people that make life worth living. If you’re looking for a New Adult book with grit and heart, I definitely recommend you read Harder and the first book, Deeper.

The Cover:
Kind of meh? I like that the two match, but they're really not my favourites.

Rating:
[4/5]

Purchase Links:
Kobo | Amazon.ca | Amazon.com | Chapters-Indigo | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to follow along with the BLOG TOUR for more reviews, excerpts, interviews, etc.

About Robin:
Robin York grew up at a college, went to college, signed on for some more college, and then married a university professor. She still isn’t sure why it didn’t occur to her to write New Adult sooner. Writing as Ruthie Knox, she is a USA TODAY bestselling author of contemporary romance, including RITA-finalists About Last Night and Room at the Inn. She moonlights as a mother, makes killer salted caramels, and sorts out thorny plot problems while running, hiking, or riding her bike.

Where to find Robin:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott

Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott
Release Date: January 28, 2014
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 304
Series: n/a
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

Life. Death. And...Love?

Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with.

But Emma can't tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.

Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn't have interested Old Emma. But New Emma-the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia-New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge.

Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death-and maybe, for love?

My Thoughts:
Going into this book I didn't expect it to be so emotional and hard hitting, which I guess is naive considering the subject matter. Elizabeth Scott definitely knows how to write situations where you really feel what her characters are feeling. Reading this, I could feel Emma’s pain and experience how empty and angry she felt. Heartbeat definitely isn’t a happy book. It’s a heart wrenching journey, however there are some moments of light that make it bearable.

Emma is someone who is hard to like at times. She only sees things her way, and she sees things in black and white. Emma can't entertain the idea that keeping her mom alive on machines (in order to give her baby brother a chance to live) is the right one. It’s either her opinion or it’s wrong, which was frustrating to read about. To read about a character like this would normally turn me off, but this is a girl who has lost her mom but still has to see her on machines. She sees her little brother growing, but simultaneously has to accept her mom is dead. Basically, it’s a lot, so if anyone is entitled to be a brat, Emma is. The important thing is that Emma does eventually realize what's important, and she does change, even if it takes her awhile.

The secondary characters in this novel are pretty great. I loved the supportive friendship from Olivia and the glimpses into what kind of a stepfather Dan had always been (an awesome one, which made me hopeful that he and Emma could be like that again). I also loved the burgeoning romance between Emma and Caleb. When Caleb was first introduced I wondered how "that type of boy" could turn out to be the love interest, which I think was done on purpose, because that’s how everyone in the book sees Caleb. He’s viewed as troubled and dangerous. That’s exactly how Emma would have seen him before, but in their situations now, they recognize things in each other. We get to see Caleb from Emma’s perspective, discovering who he really is and all the things he's been dealing with. While Emma and Caleb can't fix each other, I do think they make each other stronger, which was great to read about.

Heartbeat is an incredibly emotional read. It made me cry and get a stomachache, I was that invested in it. However, it’s also a beautiful book, about life and family and love. It sends a message that you should make every minute count, be thankful for what you have, and always let people know that you appreciate them -- however, it says all these things without preaching about them, which is always nice. If you can handle a book about a heavier subject matter, then this is definitely one to check out.

The Cover:
Like, overall.

Rating:
[4/5]

Purchase Links:
Kobo | Amazon.ca | Amazon.com | Chapters-Indigo | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Deeper by Robin York

Deeper by Robin York
Release Date: January 28, 2014
Publisher: Bantam
Pages: 400
Series: Caroline & West #1
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

In this New Adult debut by Robin York, a college student is attacked online and must restore her name—and stay clear of a guy who’s wrong for her, but feels so right.

When Caroline Piasecki’s ex-boyfriend posts their sex pictures on the Internet, it destroys her reputation as a nice college girl. Suddenly her once-promising future doesn’t look so bright. Caroline tries to make the pictures disappear, hoping time will bury her shame. Then a guy she barely knows rises to her defense and punches her ex to the ground.

West Leavitt is the last person Caroline needs in her life. Everyone knows he’s shady. Still, Caroline is drawn to his confidence and swagger—even after promising her dad she’ll keep her distance. On late, sleepless nights, Caroline starts wandering into the bakery where West works.

They hang out, they talk, they listen. Though Caroline and West tell each other they’re “just friends,” their feelings intensify until it becomes impossible to pretend. The more complicated her relationship with West gets, the harder Caroline has to struggle to discover what she wants for herself—and the easier it becomes to find the courage she needs to fight back against the people who would judge her.

When all seems lost, sometimes the only place to go is deeper.

My Thoughts:
Deeper is a New Adult novel with a big focus on revenge porn, how Caroline has to deal after her ex-boyfriend posts explicit pictures of her online after she breaks up with him. A large part of the book is Caroline having to live with the consequences of this: how guys look at her and treat her, how her family views her, and what impact it will have on her future. We also see examples of how some men view women not even as people, but just objects to exploit and do terrible things to.

Caroline is a character who grows so much throughout the book. She chooses to become strong after what happened. She’s deeply, psychologically troubled by what has happened, but with West to support her she learns how to find inner strength. Caroline learns to stand up for herself, owning the fact that she did nothing wrong, that she has nothing to apologize for or feel ashamed of.

West is absolutely a complex character. He's not a leading man I would usually find appealing, but he totally breaks the mold. He’s an incredibly hard worker, he's smart, and he cares so much about his little sister. But then there’s the fact that he deals drugs for the money, and his past is messy. West is not someone to pin your hope and dreams on, and yet you can see that his feelings for Caroline are true and deep. Caroline and West are actually quite awesome together. Their relationship takes a slow progression from lust to friendship and then something more.

So many New Adult books feature that misunderstood bad boy character and a female lead who is dealing with a crisis. The two characters somehow find each other and make everything okay just by that fact alone. I'm so glad that my suspicions were right and that Deeper is nothing like that. Robin York writes adult romance as Ruthie Knox, and if there's one thing I adore about Ruthie's books is that she writes in-depth characters who have flaws, who don’t fit stereotypes, but who you fall for and cheer for. That’s definitely the case here as well, in her first book as Robin.

Deeper definitely has a killer ending. It’s one which leaves you feeling for both characters, wanting a Happily Ever After for them, and yet understanding why things have turned out the way they have. However this is just Part 1 of Caroline and West’s story, so there’s definitely a kernel of hope there.

If you’re looking for a quality New Adult book with high emotions and many themes that you might expect to find in NA, then look no further. Deeper features all the popular things about NA, but with some real heart to the story and characters that make the situations feel real and meaningful instead of cliche. I highly recommend you check this one out.

The Cover:
Like alright.

Rating:
[Strong 4/5]

Purchase Links:
Kobo | Amazon.ca | Amazon.com | Chapters-Indigo | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan
Release Date: January 28, 2014
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 384
Series: Uninvited #1
Review Source: Edelweiss

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

The Scarlet Letter meets Minority Report in bestselling author Sophie Jordan's chilling new novel about a teenage girl who is ostracized when her genetic test proves she's destined to become a murderer.

When Davy Hamilton's tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.

Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

The first in a two-book series, Uninvited tackles intriguing questions about free will, identity, and human nature. Steeped in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's trademark mix of gripping action and breathless romance, this suspenseful tale is perfect for fans of James Patterson, Michelle Hodkin, and Lisa McMann.

My Thoughts:
My first notes for writing this review = “Soooo good!!” That basically sums up how I feel about this book. It was amazing, and you should all definitely check it out. You want to hear more? Alright, I’ll try to describe all the things I loved about Uninvited. I picked up the book because I was completely intrigued by the concept, however I know that a great concept does not always equal great execution. Thankfully Sophie Jordan plays out the concept in such an awesome way, and the book totally lives up to how it sounded.

I love it when books raise all kinds of questions, and that is totally the case here. It’s all about nature versus nurture, and the role that science plays. You have statistics which show that people with a particular gene are more likely to become killers, but you also see our main character, Davy, who is just a normal girl. The way that people treat carriers of the gene is terrible, ostracizing individuals who, before the test results, were their best friends, their family, their neighbours. It’s interesting to see how this gene almost becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, with carriers put in positions where lashing out is the lesser of evils, or their only choice, really.

This book worked so well for me because of all the emotions it brought about. I felt so much for Davy, her being someone who starts off very privileged and is suddenly a second class citizen. As a reader you’re outraged on her behalf, completely appalled at the way she and other carriers are treated. Meeting the other carriers was an interesting thing. You see those individuals who have a sense of “bad” about them, and you can see why society would want them locked away, but then you also have those like Davy who have been thrown into this craziness without doing anything wrong.

I loved Davy’s character because she doesn’t always react how you would expect her to, as our heroine. She’s a bit of an "everygirl", someone who tries to be brave, but doesn’t always want to step out. Davy worries about consequences and doesn’t like to stir the pot. She was refreshing to read about, actually, because I think that her responses (wanting to stay under the radar up until that isn’t possible) are like how regular people would behave in that situation.

Overall this was such an enjoyable book, one that really takes you on a journey. I’m so excited for the sequel, to see where Sophie Jordan will take readers next.

The Cover:
Seems cool but kind of regular until you see her hair. LOVE!!

Rating:
[5/5]

Purchase Links:
Kobo | Amazon.ca | Amazon.com | Chapters-Indigo | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund

Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund
Release Date: October 15, 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 464
Series: For Darkness Shows the Stars #2 (companion book)
Review Source: ARC from HarperCollins Canada

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilization, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a terraformed paradise where even the Reduction—the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars—is a distant memory. Yet on the isle of Galatea, an uprising against the ruling aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries’ weapon is a drug that damages their enemies’ brains, and the only hope is rescue by a mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy.

On the neighboring island of Albion, no one suspects that the Wild Poppy is actually famously frivolous aristocrat Persis Blake. The teenager uses her shallow, socialite trappings to hide her true purpose: her gossipy flutternotes are encrypted plans, her pampered sea mink is genetically engineered for spying, and her well-publicized new romance with handsome Galatean medic Justen Helo… is her most dangerous mission ever.

Though Persis is falling for Justen, she can’t risk showing him her true self, especially once she learns he’s hiding far more than simply his disenchantment with his country’s revolution and his undeniable attraction to the silly socialite he’s pretending to love. His darkest secret could plunge both islands into a new dark age, and Persis realizes that when it comes to Justen Helo, she’s not only risking her heart, she’s risking the world she’s sworn to protect.

In this thrilling adventure inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel, Diana Peterfreund creates an exquisitely rendered world where nothing is as it seems and two teens with very different pasts fight for a future only they dare to imagine.

My Thoughts:
To start off, can we talk about how much I love the main character, Persis? Because she is basically The. Best. If you need a reason to read this book (and there are many reasons why you should), Persis is a great one. She is such an amazing main character. I love that she has the fun, "fashionista" qualities that she shows to the world, but that she's also an incredibly intelligent person with a keen sense of justice. Persis is an active character: she sees something wrong, a terrible injustice, and she does something about it, even at great personal risk. I also loved the statement made by the author, of how easy it was for Persis to fool everyone into thinking she was stupid, because she’s pretty, rich, upper class, and - most of all - a female.

I give Diana Peterfreund major props for the subject matter of this book, because it’s incredibly complex. Even though Diana has done a great job at making things fairly basic and accessible, it’s still a story based on genetics and a complex history of persecution. At first it was a bit difficult to keep things straight, particularly because of the different names used, but it was also incredibly fascinating. And science isn't the only subject matter of the book: there’s adventure with the Wild Poppy rescuing people, and there’s the relationship between Persis and Justen. I really like how this story is one with intricate details you need to pay attention to, while at the same time offering humour and swoony moments.

While I enjoyed For Darkness Shows the Stars, especially the unique ideas of the story, I never fell for it in the same way many others did. I was excited when the characters in this book captured my attention so much more. There’s just something about the characters here and the Scarlet Pimpernel inspired plot that I loved.

[Also, a note, because many people seem to be confused about this: Across a Star-Swept Sea takes place in the same universe as For Darkness Shows the Stars, but it is very much a standalone novel. There is a bit of a crossover (which I won’t spoil!), but you don’t need to read the other book to understand or appreciate this one.]

The Cover:
Like!

Rating:
[Strong 4/5]

Find Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund on HarperCollins Canada. Purchase through Book Depository, Chapters Indigo, Amazon.ca, & Amazon.com.