Book Labyrinth

July 24, 2014

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Release Date: July 8, 2014
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 310
Series: n/a
Review Source: eARC for review from publisher through Raincoast Books

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it’s been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems besides the point now.

Maybe that was always besides the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect to him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts . . .

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

My Thoughts:
Landline is a gorgeous, funny, and lovely read: exactly what you would expect from a Rainbow Rowell novel. It’s a very emotional novel, one that’s sad and bittersweet in a lot of moments, but mostly it just makes you feel everything. Rainbow’s words wrap me up in knots and they never let me go until the end. Even then there's this connection, these feelings for the people you've spent time reading about.

In Landline, Georgie, our main character, is lost. She’s lost in her marriage, but also a little bit in life. This is a book about priorities, about how we spend our time. It’s about marriage and love and how to reconcile the two. It’s about combining two lives, about staying in love and staying together, even when it might be easier to give up. Landline focuses on all aspects of love and romance, from the little things to the grand gestures, to just plain having to put in the effort. It’s so easy in novels to paint one person as the villain who needs to change, but Rainbow’s writing is more nuanced than that. She writes about people and situations that feel real, which means that both Georgie and Neal are flawed. They both make bad decisions and they both let things go, not having real conversations about their issues.

Also as usual in a Rainbow Rowell novel, Landline features great side characters. There’s Georgie's sister Heather, as well as Georgie and Heather’s flamboyant dog loving mom. Neal and Georgie's daughters steal several scenes, and I especially loved Noomi who meowed like a cat. The plotline of the book is interesting as well, something that could be considered magical realism, considering present-day Georgie spends a lot of the time on a magical telephone talking to Neal in the past.

Basically, Landline is such a lovely, happy, and sweet book, despite all the gut wrenching scenes it took to get there. I can’t say much more than: basically? this book is perfection.

The Cover:
Like! Though I like the UK cover even more.

Rating:

July 23, 2014

Boomerang by Noelle August

Boomerang by Noelle August (pen name for Veronica Rossi and Lorin Oberweger)
Release Date: July 8, 2014
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: 304
Series: Boomerang #1
Review Source: Edelweiss

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

The first book in a sensational New Adult trilogy from Noelle August.

Welcome to Boomerang.com, the dating site for the millennial gen with its no-fuss, no-commitments matchups, and where work is steamier than any random hook-up

Mia Galliano is an aspiring filmmaker. Ethan Vance has just played his last game as a collegiate soccer star. They’re sharp, hungry for success, and they share a secret.

Last night, Ethan and Mia met at a bar, and, well . . . one thing led to another, which led to them waking up the next morning—together. Things turned awkward in a hurry when they found themselves sharing a post hookup taxi . . . to the same place: Boomerang headquarters.

What began as a powerful connection between them is treated to a cold shower courtesy of two major complications. First, Boomerang has a strict policy against co-worker dating. And second, they’re now competitors for only one job at the end of summer.

As their internships come to an end, will they manage to keep their eyes on the future and their hands off each other, or will the pull of attraction put them right back where they started?

My Thoughts:
This book is so. incredibly. cute, and it made me very happy. If you’re looking for a romance that is relatively light and will make you smile, I absolutely recommend Boomerang.

This book features characters that are fully fleshed out, including the secondary characters. From the main characters’ co-workers to their friends and roommates, to their families: all of them were great. There’s quite a large supporting cast, but I found everyone so easy to keep track of because of how interesting and unique they were.

As for our main characters, Mia and Ethan had awesome chemistry. The forbidden nature of their relationship (because of their office’s no dating policy) helped keep their attraction at a drawn out sizzle, but either way it was clear that these two were fabulous together. I loved Mia's ambition and passion for film and creativity, and I adored Ethan's kindness and his love for coaching kid’s soccer. The joy he got out of motivating and helping people was adorable, and really spoke to his character.

Boomerang is an awesome New Adult read. It’s definitely romance focused, but it’s also so much about that important “what’s next?” question, about the characters figuring out their next step. I loved the swoony romantic tension and the fact that, while it features a couple of angsty moments, it mainly has a happy and sweet feel to it. New Adult fans, definitely pick this one up!

The Cover:
I don't feel like it represents the book very well at all, but purely based on looks I love the cover.

Rating:

July 18, 2014

London Falling by Chanel Cleeton (+ Giveaway)

London Falling by Chanel Cleeton
Release Date: July 7, 2014
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Pages: 282
Series: International School #2
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

We weren't a relationship, we were a ticking time bomb...

Maggie Carpenter walked away from the hottest encounter of her life when she left the seductive glitz of England for summer break in her South Carolina hometown. Now that she’s returned to the International School in London—and sexy, privileged Samir Khouri is once again close enough to touch—she can’t help but remember the attraction, the drama … the heartbreak.

She can’t help but want him even more.

Samir can’t afford to fall for someone so far removed from his world, not when his time in London is running out. It's his senior year—his last chance at freedom before he returns home to Lebanon. There, he’ll be expected to follow in his father’s footsteps—not follow his heart to Maggie. But when a scorching secret hookup becomes a temptation neither can resist, they’ll both have to fight to survive the consequences … and find a future together.

Don’t miss this explosive sequel to I See London, and the riveting conclusion to Maggie and Samir’s story. This is a New Adult romance recommended for readers 17 and up.

My Thoughts:
Samir + Maggie = OTP. Seriously. I've been dying for this book since I read the first one, and in spite of that fact London Falling completely lived up to my expectations. After the first book you kind of expect a swoony but completely angsty and painful read, and that’s exactly what you get here. In a masochistic way I liked that it wasn't easy for these two. Even when it was painful (and oh gosh it was PAINFUL), it was real. I mean, there are completely serious and realistic reasons why Samir and Maggie shouldn’t be able to make it work long term, so it made sense that things wouldn’t be easy.

Beyond the romance, which is obviously the focus of the book, I liked the character journeys that Samir and Maggie go through. It took longer than I'd like for them to stop being so dense, but again, I appreciated it at the same time, because it felt true to character. To put it simply, I loved this book. London Falling is a steamy, sweet, and emotional New Adult romance that I recommend to all fans of the category.

The Cover:
Generally like.

Rating:

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pages