Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Along for the Ride 

Author: Sarah Dessen
Pages: 383
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Release:  June 11th 2009
Book Source: Acquired from School Scholastic Book fair
Age Group: 
 Award(s):  

TAYSHAS High School Reading List (2010),  

Goodreads Choice Award for Young Adult Fiction (2009), 

ALA Teens' Top Ten (2010), 

Milwaukee County Teen Book Award Nominee (2010), 

Teen Read Award Nominee for Best Read (2010)

      Auden West.  Named for the obscure poet W.H Auden. Her parents are literary artists. Also referred to perfectionists. Auden has always had to focus on academics, college and her future. But ever since their divorce she has been incapable of sleeping at night. This habit formed ever since her parents started fighting, she would sneak out to a local 24 hour diner study and drink coffee all night.

     Now it is the summer before college, Auden realizes she never had a childhood nor adventure. So she chooses on an impulse to move to a small beach town with her dad, her new stepmother and they're newborn baby. Its an adventure, that is for sure.

     She realizes that it is far more difficult making friends, having fun and fitting into the small town than she assumed. But soon she meets Eli. He is dark, mysterious and just as sleepless as she is. That is when they're quest begins, the quest for regaining on childhood, the quest for clumsy love and discovery. Its never to late to be a kid.

 This is my second of Sarah Dessen's novels that I have read and I read it one night. It would be classified as realistic fiction but this book is wonderful! I enjoyed the easy going predictability in the world she creates.

If you have read The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen and I noticed that she intertwined the character a bit. Reading these novels I see lots of similarities in character traits. Out of her two books I have read they have female perspectives. They are both headstrong, independent and incredibly predictable.

Predictable isn't necessarily Bad... but if you like to read book that have you "hangingontheedgeofyourseatbouncingupanddownanticipatingtherestofthebook"... this is not the book for you!

This is the kind of book that would be nice to curl up in a blanket on a snowy day and drink hot cocoa. A definitely calming read.

In My Mailbox 2 October 27th - November 3rd

  



Compliments to The Story Siren

Review Requests

If anyone would like to request a review email me at onceuponawanderer@yahoo.com

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Author: Michelle Hodkin
Pages: 452
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Release: September 27th 2011
Book Source: Library
Age Group: Young Adult (12-18)

     In the book The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin, Mara Dyer is crumbling. She is haunted by hallucinations of her friends Rachel, Claire and Jude. They're dead; her friends died in a terrible accident. An old creaky building collapsed while Mara and her friends were exploring. But Mara, she survived. Days after the tragic misfortune, Mara wakes a coma suffering from amnesia; She doesn't recall anything of that night. She catches only glimpses in her dreams. Nightmares. Everything was an accident. An Accident. Accident. Her memories of her friends pursue her. Mara and her family decide to up and move from Laurelton Rhode Island, to Miami Florida. She believe this change will help her move on from everything and start over. She was dead wrong. Moving to Florida worsens her hallucinations- she believes there is something more wrong with her than PTSD. She fears that the building collapse; wasn't just an unfortunate accident- nor will it be the last.

     Mara is completely and utterly alone aside from a boy named Noah, who is out for her fall for him. Mara is opposed to any prospect of love, she avoids it at all costs.  With everything getting worse, and her world is falling apart; How can she afford not to fall? 

     This book reminded me why I love to read, I seriously read this 450 page book in one day. This book was suspenseful, surprising, dark, mysterious and hilarious at the same time.

You will feel Mara Dyer's emotions and live through her perspective. Michelle Hodkin is an absolute BRILLIANT author and her way of writing is so addictive. Mara is an extremely troubled, quirky and character that I could relate to.

I wish I was as cool as Mara. The plot of this book was bewildering and kept you on the edge if your seat, just hanging onto every single word.  The romance that dominated this book was invigorating and the sweet banter left you wishing it was you (no joke). 

I absolutely despise it when amazing authors leave you hanging on a cliff hanger on this amazing book full of bewildering mystery that will leave you guessing until the very last freaking page!

I am so angry at Michelle Hodkin- write faster! I would definitely say this book is 

Freakin' Fantastic  on my scale of books it definitely one of the best books I have read in a Very, Very, Very, LONG time.

If you enjoyed The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The City Of Bones by Cassandra Claire, Darkest Powers Series by Kelley Armstrong, Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Imaginary Girls, Across the Universe by Beth Revis or Divergent by Veronica Roth; You are for sure to devour this book!

In My Mailbox 1 October 21-27 2011

  

Compliments To : The Story Siren

In My Mailbox

A new feature I am adding to my blog is called In My Mailbox
This was originally started by: The Story Siren
Check her blog out, she is amazing, definitely my hero, her and a couple of my friends inspired me to make a blog and join the people who're doing the In My Mailbox.  I will be doing in my mailbox every Thursday or so, so Check it Out!

Gone by Michael Grant

Gone 

Author: Michael Grant 

Pages: 558

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release: July 1st 2008

Book Source: Library

Age Group: Young Adult (12-18) 

In the book Gone by Michael Grant, out of nowhere every single person over the age of 14 in the area of Perdido Beach, California and Coates Academy simultaneously disappears. And along with that, an electric diaphanous barrier has materialized out of nowhere, centered completely around the local Perdido Beach power plant. With no adults, no one to control and discipline everyone; almost instantaneously chaos erupts. Numerous kids are stealing from grocery stores and devouring all the junk food they can encounter. The main character Sam Temple and his friends Astrid, Quinn, and Edilio are apt to find out what’s going on and what they can do to help. Eight months prior to this whole disaster Sam started developing mysterious powers which include brilliant laser light shooting from his hands and incinerating things when angry or high on adrenaline. After this catastrophe he has learned, much to his dismay, that he is not the only one with quickly improving, ultimately impossible powers.

Naturally when all leaders disappear, new leaders must step forward. And that's when all of the town bullies venture out to come take a stab at attempting to take over the small Perdido Beach. But in a bully eat bully world there is always a bigger bully; and the bigger bully is Coates Academy. Coates Academy is fully charged with many altered kids with many diverse, destructive powers. These Coates kids are armed and ready to take over and assume the position of the main leaders of this new unexplained world; and they are more than willing to fight for their position on top.

Many of the town kids want Sam to step to be the leader of this new, desolate way of living, and he does just that. Having this enigmatic barrier appear and everyone over the age of 14 disappearing are not the only problems Sam has. Sam’s 15th birthday is quickly approaching and ever since this barrier has manifested, every kid who has turned 15 within the barrier’s clutches has blinked out just like all the adults have. With Sam's birthday rapidly advancing, Sam is becoming more and more conscious that his time allocated in this anomalous community might very soon be over. But the real mystery is can Sam truly be the leader to all the kids to help survive this chaotic mess of what has become Perdido Beach.

 When I read this book I had many thoughts about it; My first thought of it was "Wow this is amazing" but than my thoughts started going in the other direction. The writing isn't terrible but it isn't fantastic. The plot is well  thought out; but my only problem with it is that it is extremely predictable. 


I think this whole series could have been summarized in two maybe three books but not six  excruciatingly long books (500-600 pages). My only problem is the fact that it gets old after the second or third book. If you were one to enjoy every installment of The House of Night- then this book is for you. But do not expect it to be the new 'Harry Potter' size wise. It was okay.