angst

Review: Just Friends by Monica Murphy

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just-friends-amazon Have you ever read a book so crazy insane with angst that you wanna set it down and walk away, but you JUST CAN’T DO IT? Well, that is how I felt read Just Friends. My word… Teenage drama to the nth degree. Seriously.

Just Friends is about…well, friends. Friends and enemies. Frenemies really. The characters were so insane with teenage drama and feelings, I thought my head was going to explode. At one point I hated every single character. None of them were making good choices. They only cared about hooking up, which is true for most teenagers, but my word… Selfish, emotional and so over the top wishy washy. He likes her, but she doesn’t know if she likes him. But the he hooks up with someone else. But he really likes her, even though she doesn’t know if she can be with him. All of that and more. Teenage drama.

Now I say all of that, but in reality, I was sucked in from the very first chapter. I couldn’t take my eyes off the page. I needed to know what happens and who “really” like who, and why is she acting this way. GAH!!!!

If you stepped into your local high school, you would probably hear lots of the same conversations that were in the book. Ms. Murphy nailed the inner feelings and actions of teenage girls. Supremely. Not to mention that the boys were realistically stupid as always. Sex and sports.

I haven’t read an angst filled NA book in quite some time, so I wasn’t sure what my reactions were going to be. But it’s safe to say, there was a lot of yelling and “What are thinking?’ being shouted.Again, teenage drama. I know the characters are in high school, but they are doing lots of grown up things that I can’t label YA. This book will get your heart racing and tugging. Your heart will hurt and twist at the same time. So much fun.

And that ending? I need more NOW.

~Melpomene
Buy Just Friends HERE

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Review: Broken Prince by Erin Watt

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01 abr I am royally ruined.

After that shocking ending, in Paper Princess, we were left with a ton of questions. To be honest, we were left screaming and yelling. But once we calmed down, we were able to think and ponder and then come up with all our questions.

Ella is gone. The Royals are falling a part. The world is not what it should be. Who knew that a girl was the key to a smoother life in the Royal household?

Reed has been the king of his world for some time now, but when Ella walks into his life, she flipped a switch. And now that she’s gone, he realizes that he needs her more than he ever knew. He’s made so many wrong decisions and now they’re all back to bit him in the rump.

“I’ve spent the last couple of years trying to destroy everything around me. Who knew success would taste so bitter.”

This book had so many “Oh my gosh!” and “Holy crap!” moments, I could barely keep up. So many deceptions and new questions, it’s no wonder we can’t pick up a book for a few days. My stomach was in knots the entire time. This book turned me into one of those annoying people who use all caps to get their feeling across on social media. I mean, between Ella, Reed, evil Brooke, Callum and the rest of the Royal boys, how’s a person supposed to function with all that drama and deception flying around?

Again, this book will leave you wanting so much more. Too bad we must wait until October for Twisted Palace. And let me tell you, that name is PERFECT for this insane story.

~Melpomene

Buy Broken Prince HERE.

Review: Paper Princess by Erin Watt

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01 ar Dude. I am speechless right now. My heart is racing a mile a minute and my hands are shaking. This book was a wild ride and I don’t think I was strapped in tight enough. Whew!

Ella has done what she needed to do to survive. While it wasn’t the wisest choice, it was her only choice. But then Callum Royal plucks her out and take her to his home, with his five sons, claiming he is her guardian. She is thrust into a life that is clearly nothing she’s ever experienced.

I liked Ella’s spunk. I liked her soft side as well. Just because she has taken to the more rougher choices in life doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel or cry. My heart broke a few times right along with her. She is just trying to get through high school unscathed, but these Royal boys aren’t going to make it easy.

This will never by my home. I don’t belong in splendor. I belong in squalor. That’s what I know. It’s what I’m comfortable with, because squalor doesn’t lie to you. It’s not wrapped in a pretty package. It is what it is.
This house is an illusion. It’s polished and pretty, but the dream Callum is trying to sell is as flimsy as paper. Nothing stays shiny forever in this world.

This book is definitely angst to the nth degree. I inhaled it in one sitting because I’m pretty sure my nerves couldn’t handle this dragged out any longer. And now that it’s over, I’m feeling like I need the next book, or I’ll just DIE. It’s like a soap opera, and the hour is done, and now I must wait for the next episode with bated breath.

~Melpomene

Buy Paper Princess HERE.
Pre order Broken Prince HERE.

Review: Like Falling by Jaden Wilkes

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17995429Like Falling (Surfaces #1) is another take of my current favorite angst filled genre, New Adult. I can’t help it – I can’t get enough of it. I’ve read the good, the bad and the ugly in the genre so far and believe me there has been some very ugly! But this one seems to fit pretty much right smack dab in the middle of the genre- in a good way.

Sarah Miller comes from a Mennonite family who wants her to marry as soon as possible and have lots of Mennonite babies. She wants to go to college and her parents decide to let her and Sarah explores her boundaries while there, in every way. Sarah lives with her Mennonite friend Nic, who quickly introduces Sarah to all the joys of college life.

Sarah seems at times to be almost over the top, but then I remember people who I’ve known who felt repressed and she acted pretty much just like they did. She is wide eyed and trying to experience different things from cursing to kissing. I did laugh at her text messaging and dealing with her roomate’s girlfriend.

This book was part amusing, coming of age story, and part angsty romance between two people who obviously should be together. It does end in a cliffhanger, but does so in such a way that did not make me angry. The author pointed out that the the 2nd book is in the process and it will be part of a trilogy as she felt that the story was too much for one book.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Solid 3 stars

~Clio

Review (Another Look): Escaping Reality by Lisa Renee Jones

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ER I know Melpomene reviewed this book earlier in the week but I wanted to offer my take on the book because it’s a bit different from hers since we all have our own opinions!

I wanted to like this book. A lot. I’ve heard good things about the author and her other books but had never gotten around to reading those due to my huge TBR list. But I saw this listed as the New Adult genre and it drew me in as I’m quickly becoming obsessed with all things NA.

Amy is on the run from her past and has help from an unknown benefactor. She gets word she needs to leave her current life that she’d gotten used to over the last 6 years in New York. While on the plane to Denver she meets a handsome man who sweeps her off her feet and happens to live across from her new apartment building. Amy quickly gets caught up in an affair with Liam who is a rich architect. We get glimpses into her past here and there but nothing clear. The book comes to a surprising conclusion.

I just could not get into this book. If Amy was supposed to be on the run why on earth would she fall madly in love with a stranger on a plane? She did a horrible job of keeping things secret. Liam seemed to fit into the oh so popular demanding rich boyfriend trope that I’m getting tired of currently. Amy fit into the helpless I need you but I don’t girl that is so hot right now.

We literally never learn anything in the book about her past so there was a huge cliffhanger. I’m ok with cliffhangers but there was the actual literary cliffhanger and then on top of that the cliffhanger of WTF is up with this girl? Due to that there is no way I’m reading the next book. Why would I when I didn’t find out enough about the main character in this one? Is the author going to wait until the third book to reveal anything? I cannot handle that!!

I also felt that this book didn’t quite fit into the New Adult genre. I’ve read a ton in this genre and this one didn’t seem right to me.
2 stars.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review.
~ Clio

Buy it Now Escaping Reality (New Adult Romance) (The Secret Life of Amy Bensen)

Review: Out of Breath, by Rebecca Donovan

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What an amazing end to a powerful and emotional series!!

I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to finish it, but I knew I had too. The first two books were quite draining and pushed me way over. I’m glad I didn’t read them back to back. I don’t think I could’ve handled that. My nerves would’ve been shot. That being said, I’m glad this is over. 🙂

The book starts off about two years after Emma walks out on Evan and leaves him barely conscience. She is trying to move on, but still, she will never be the same. Her friends have tried to help her. They even encouraged her to date. But her heart’s not really in it. Her heart’s back in Weslyn, but she won’t admit that.

Unfortunately, life has a way of pushing us to do things and face things we really don’t want to. When Emma finds herself back in Weslyn, she can’t face it.

Evan and Sara find her passed out, from alcohol, and they realize that she is not the girl they knew and loved. They decide to spend all summer trying to put her back together. Emma doesn’t think she is worth the trouble. She still thinks that she has done unforgivable things and that no one should love her, especially not Evan. She wishes everyone would just leave her. But they know they can’t.

I wasn’t happy to see how she was behaving, in college. Part of me wanted her to be waiting for Evan, but I know that was unrealistic. So seeing her with someone else was hard. I don’t think she was very smart about her choices. She needed a good whack across her noggin.

Evan has had a horrible two years, since she left. He never understood why. But he wants closure and the truth, from her. He is determined to get it, even if he has to go through the hurt again. He wants her to be honest, for once. He spends all summer trying to crack her shell and see what she’s hiding and how she’s feeling.

Their friends are super supportive and don’t wanna see either of them hurt again. But they do try and help push things along. And not very subtle either. 🙂

I don’t wanna say anymore, at the risk of spoiling it. However, this ended just like I’d hoped. I was so very happy. It was a long time coming, but I’m glad I stuck around. Now I can put my Xanax away. 😉

-Melpomene

Buy it now Out Of Breath (The Breathing Series, #3)

Review: Losing Hope, by Colleen Hoover

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Give me a moment to collect myself……

5 stars isn’t enough. It’s a 10!!

I fell in love with Holder all over again. I remember being heartbroken when he talked about Les, in Hopeless, but hearing it from his POV was downright overwhelming. It broke my heart watching as he went through the loss of his twin, while still dealing with the loss of Hope. The poor boy.

I wasn’t expecting to feel any different than I did when I read Hopeless, but I was wrong. Holder lived and breathed his sister and finding Hope. But when she is taken from him, “It was like all our hope was taken right along with our Hope.” *wipes eyes*

When he meets Sky and starts hoping she’s not Hope, I started to lose it. I really didn’t want her to be Hope either, but I knew there was nothing I could do about it.

The best first kiss without even kissing…WOW! That was so very hot! “I need to know for sure that you’re feeling every single thing that I’m feeling the moment my lips touch yours. Because I want your first kiss to be the best first kiss in the history of first kisses.” *swoon*

When he found the notebook and starting writing letters, I felt my heart break after every one.

When he found the letter…I had to step away. I knew, but yet I didn’t know. I wanted to reach in and hold onto him and never let him go.

“In order to miss someone, that means you were privileged enough to have them in your life to begin with.”

Holy cow. I just can’t get myself together. This was an amazing book. Colleen Hoover just made my heart break and then slowly put it back together. I will never be the same though. This book did a number on me. As do all of her books. I don’t know how she does it, but I am thankful she does.

-Melpomene

Buy it now Losing Hope: A Novel