In My Mailbox (15)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It is designed to put new books on people's radars, and encourage blogger interaction.

Here's what I received this week:





Library:

• My Soul to Lose - Rachel Vincent (eBook)
• My Soul to Take - Rachel Vincent (eBook)
• My Soul to Save - Rachel Vincent
• My Soul to Keep - Rachel Vincent
• Reaper - Rachel Vincent (eBook)
• My Soul to Steal - Rachel Vincent (eBook)

Bought:

• Between the Lines - Tammarra Webber (eBook)

For Review:

• Past Perfect - Leila Sales (GalleyGrab)

**All links lead to Goodreads

So last week I had all the 'Wicked Lovely' books from the library but I decided they weren't for me. I moved on to the 'Soul Screamer' books, as you can see, and if you can believe it I read them all over the past week or so.

P.S. Don't forget to check out my Top 10 Book Boyfriends list & enter to win some swag signed by Jeri Smith-Ready.

Doggirl by Robin Brande

Release Date: May 2, 2011
Publisher: Ryer Publishing
Pages: 269
Review Source: eBook from author

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Riley Case has always been an expert with dogs--it's people she doesn't understand. But when the chance comes to use her talents as a dog trainer to help her high school drama department compete in a national contest, Riley has to set aside her shyness and fears, and finally let the world see what she can do. It's THE DOG WHISPERER meets GLEE as Riley and her dogs help put on a show no one will forget.

My Thoughts:
If you like dogs at all (even a tiny bit) stop what you're doing and buy this eBook. Seriously, if you have a soft spot for animals you are going to want to read this book. Robin Brande has written a story that will pull on your heartstrings. This is a sweet story about a girl named Riley who slowly overcomes her social anxieties, letting go of past hurts as she learns to fit in and trust people, instead of just relying on her dogs.

Riley's understanding of, and love for, her dogs is really special. If you believe in human-animal connections you will love reading about how much Riley cares for her animals and how well she knows them. The animal training aspect of the book is amazing. It is so cool what animals can do when they work with a trainer, and all the tricks described in the book sound amazing. It made me wish I could see the play performed in real life.

This is a great book for younger YAs because Riley is a younger teenage character, and the message her story presents is a great one. I think we can all relate to feeling like we don't fit in at one point or another, and Robin Brande addresses that issue in this book. Riley learns to accept herself and trust other people, and it is really lovely seeing such a sweet girl get her chance to shine. With Robin Brande's awesome conversational writing style I really felt like Riley was talking to me and telling me her story. This is just a really great heartwarming story, and it's definitely one to pick up if you're looking for something which addresses more serious issues like bullying and social anxiety while still remaining sweet and light.

Rating:
[3.5/5]

Find Doggirl by Robin Brande on Goodreads & buy a copy through Smashwords, Kindle, or Nook. A print edition will be available in late May.

Instructions for a Broken Heart by Kim Culbertson

Release Date: May 1, 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 320
Review Source: Finished copy from publisher

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Three days before her drama club's trip to Italy, Jessa Gardner discovers her boyfriend in the costume barn with another girl. Jessa is left with a care package from her best friend titled "Top Twenty Reasons He's a Slimy Jerk Bastard," instructing her to do one un-Jessa-like thing each day of the trip. At turns hilarious and heartwrenching, Instructions for a Broken Heart paints a magical Italy in which Jessa learns she must figure out life-and romance-for herself.

My Thoughts:
‘Instructions for a Broken Heart’ is a read that fell somewhere right in the middle for me. I didn’t love it, though I really liked certain aspects of it. I loved the descriptions of the Italian scenery and all the different monuments and places that Jessa and her classmates visited. I also thought the letters from Jessa’s best friend Carissa were a great plot device. The letters allowed Jessa to do things that were out of character for her, and while a lot of them ended up in catastrophe it was interesting to read about, and they helped Jessa grow.

One reason why I’m sort of on the fence about this book is that I was sort of ambivalent toward Jessa. I felt bad for her, but she had so many confusing emotions running through her that it made it hard to relate. She kept changing her mind about things, and she felt everything SO DEEPLY that at times her narrative voice seemed a bit melodramatic. I appreciated the base emotions that Jessa was expressing, though, and her good heart made it easy enough to root for her.

The secondary characters each had their moments as well. Carissa, with her putting all the letters together, appears to be a great best friend, but some of the letters’ content showed how this might not necessarily be the case. I was a bit confused about why this drama really needed to be part of the plot, because there was definitely enough going on already. Jessa’s other BFF Tyler was an awesome addition to the story as he was funny, sweet, and supportive until suddenly he’s not: his character transformation seemed a bit sudden, but for the most part he's a really enjoyable character. Then there’s Dylan Thomas who is smart and cute, but is too absent for much of the story.

This is a interesting (though predictable) story with a lot of good parts to it, and it was well written as well. I just feel like it’s missing a certain je ne sais quoi. I know that’s not very helpful, but despite the issues above I can’t exactly put my finger on what stopped me from absolutely loving it. If you enjoy travel stories or narratives with tasks outlined in letters then this is well worth a read. It has a good message to it about being yourself and embracing your emotions without being ruled by them.

Rating:
[3.5/5]

Find Instructions for a Broken Heart by Kim Culbertson on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.ca