Dec 30, 2013

Book Review: Roomies - Sara Zarr & Tara Altebrando

Title: Roomies
Author: Sara Zarr & Tara Altebrando
Release Date: December 24th 2013
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: eARC from NetGalley
It's time to meet your new roomie.
When East Coast native Elizabeth receives her freshman-year roommate assignment, she shoots off an e-mail to coordinate the basics: television, microwave, mini-fridge. That first note to San Franciscan Lauren sparks a series of e-mails that alters the landscape of each girl's summer - and raises questions about how two girls who are so different will ever share a dorm room.
As the countdown to college begins, life at home becomes increasingly complex. With family relationships and childhood friendships strained by change, it suddenly seems that the only people Elizabeth and Lauren can rely on are the complicated new boys in their lives... and each other. Even though they've never met.
Roomies was quite the surprise. I was in a (lazy) reading funk because of the snugly cold weather here but I wanted to read something if only to make progress with my Goodreads reading challenge - which, with three days left in the year and eight books to go to win, I have now given up on - so I decided to crack this open. Let it be known that I started reading this at one in the morning and that two hours later, my eyes were still glued. It's that good.

I loved this right from page one. Some may be weirded out by Elizabeth's openness to Lauren even in that first email, but I totally understand how easy it sometimes is to talk to a stranger rather than someone you've known your whole life. Lauren was more hesitant - and she may have been weirded out herself - but soon, the sense of anonymity let these two girls strike up a literally 'fast' friendship that made me go "Uh, TMI much?" one minute and then "Oh, whatever" the next, because if they're going to be sharing one room for the next year, they might as well get to the dirty dishes straight away, right?

It shocked me how I felt like I was reading about two versions of myself, but rather than Elizabeth, an only child who lives a fairly comfortable but sad life and resents her parents, I related even more with Lauren, the "no Facebook/Twitter/whasoever" type and has five younger siblings but is showered with love. Like her, I also have a ton of siblings - okay, 'a ton' is actually just four, but they're all married and two of them have two kids each so then it's a riot when we're in one room - so I know how it can be smothering to be in their company but homesick when not. All the crying she did when she was about to leave made me glad I don't have to move away while attending college.

Aside from the unusual friendship and going away to college shenanigans, another thing I loved about Roomies was the romance - or, rather, romances. Elizabeth and Lauren each found their own cute, sweet, and thoughtful guys who both made me swoon. Seriously. To discover one guy who belongs to this species is already hard enough, but two? Talk about luck. I just nodded for about a whole minute when one of the girls said (can't remember which, but I think it was Elizabeth) that her guy came at exactly the right point in her life when she needed him. I'm still green as the goblin with envy here, you guys.

Even though, except for some headdesk-worthy surprises, practically nothing mind-blowing happens in this book, I still couldn't stop reading it. It was like when I watched the movie Before Sunrise - you know, where the characters are just walking and chatting but somehow it never gets dull and, somewhere in the middle of it all, you start to care for them, like you just met two new friends and you want to know everything about them. The perfect read for a lazy day, Roomies reminds us of the essentials of any kind of friendship: honesty and consideration, and I look forward to reading it again.

MY FAVORITE PART was the last scene. All the pages before that felt like taking a deep breath for that one moment, and I just loved it.

RATING:

365 Days of Books: November & December 2013

With the new year fast coming up, I thought I'd recap 2013, the most bookish year in the history of me. I read (and re-read) so many amazing books in these two months and they were the perfect way to end the year. I hope the mojo carries on to 2014!

November
Everything Between Us by Mila Ferrera (3.5/5)
Olivia Twisted by Vivi Barnes (4.5/5)
The Summer My Life Began by Shannon Greenland (2.5/5)
The Naturals (The Naturals #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (4.5/5)
(Re-read!) The Selection (The Selection #1) by Kiera Cass (4.5/5)
The Elite (The Selection #2) by Kiera Cass (4/5)
(Re-read!) Midnight City (Conquered Earth #1) by J. Barton Mitchell (4/5)
The Severed Tower (Conquered Earth #2) by J. Barton Mitchell (4.5/5)
(Re-read!) Tempest (Tempest #1) by Julie Cross (4/5)
Vortex (Tempest #2) by Julie Cross (4.5/5)
Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2) by Katie McGarry (4.5/5)
Total: 13 books (None of them novellas! I'm quite proud of this lol.)

Book of the Month

Dec 28, 2013

Book Review: World After - Susan Ee

Title: World After (Penryn and the End of Days #2)
Author: Susan Ee
Release Date: November 19th 2013
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Bought
In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.
When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.
Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.
Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?
(Slight spoilers if you haven't read the first book.)

It took me four days to finish Angelfall, thanks to finals week and then Christmas coming up, so you can probably understand my reluctance to pick up this sequel when I wasn't sure I'd be able to give it my full attention. Thankfully, my family made the decision for me by choosing to stay home on Christmas Day, because World After is a book that should not be put down until it's been read till the end. If you're a slow reader like me, then you should pick this up when you have eight hours of free time ahead of you. Preferably an empty house, too, for the sudden laughing and squealing.

The story picks up right where Angelfall left off. Penryn, paralyzed by the angel scorpion hybrid's venom, is thought to be dead by everyone, even Raffe, who thinks he's doing her a final favor by delivering her to her family. Carted off to join the human resistance fighters, the Young family soon becomes the spectacle because of Penryn's mother's usual brand of crazy and her sister Paige's terrifying appearance and demeanor. When Paige finally loses it and runs off, Penryn is left no choice but to look for her again despite the danger.

World After is so much more than Angelfall in so many ways; everything was taken up a notch. The action never wavers, instead being omnipresent with numerous, sudden bursts that had me frantically turning the pages. We learn more of the angels' disturbing apocalyptic tactics and human-like politics, bringing the unpredictability factor to a level of "That did not just happen." What little hilarity, both actual and disturbing, that can be found in this bleak, morally-confusing world presents itself in the right moments - and very quietly, too, like a friend creeping up behind you. Yes, Pooky Bear, I'm referring to you.

The character development in this series is so subtle, one might mistake it for non-existence, but if you look hard enough, you'll see that it's there. Penryn is still her kickass self, but her fears and uncertainties have increased. She knows she can't save every helpless human she runs across, but that doesn't stop the moral obligation from gnawing on her. Her reaction to Paige's horrifying new reality adds a touch of reality to her already real-as-it-can-get character. Raffe, on the other hand, changed right before my eyes. We see deeper into him, and I loved the unique way it was accomplished.

I had little hope for the romance because Penryn and Raffe were apart for more than half of the book, but, man oh man, their reunion was worth the wait, and with the way things ended, my hopes are higher than ever. Although I somehow feel like little progress is made with regards to the plot of the entire series, World After still receives nothing but my undying praise, and now I join this series' entire legion of fans in impatiently waiting for the next book. (I really hope it comes out next year because one year is the longest I can wait without going crazy.)

MY FAVORITE PART was Penryn and Raffe retrieving Pooky Bear =))

RATING:

365 Days of Books: September & October 2013

With the new year fast coming up, I thought I'd recap 2013, the most bookish year in the history of me. It's happened: I skipped one of these twelve days of recaps lol. So today is for both September and October!

September
Northern Bites (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter #2) by Nikki Jefford (4/5)
Visited by Janine Caldwell (4/5)
The Woken Gods by Gwenda Bond (5/5)
What Endures by Katie Lee (3/5)
Acid by Emma Pass (4.5/5)
The Girl Next Door by Selene Castrovilla (4/5)
15 Minutes (Rewind Series #1) by Jill Cooper (3.5/5)
When the World was Flat (and we were in love) by Ingrid Jonach (5/5)
Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1) by Richelle Mead (5/5)
Fault Line by Christa Desir (3.5/5)
Tainted (Broken #2) by A.E. Rought (4/5)
Total: 11 books

Book of the Month

Dec 26, 2013

{Blog Tour} Book Review + Giveaway: Girl of Lies - Charles Sheehan-Miles


Title: Girl of Lies (Rachel's Peril #1)
Author: Charles Sheehan-Miles
Release Date: December 17th 2013
Publisher: Cincinnatus Press
Age Group: New Adult
Source: eARC for blog tour
Andrea Thompson is smart, assertive and beautiful. She’s also desperately lonely. Raised in Europe by her grandmother, she struggles knowing neither of her parents wanted her, and she has no idea why.
When Andrea receives an urgent call from her older sister Carrie, she agrees to fly to the United States to help. Carrie’s newborn daughter Rachel needs a bone marrow transplant.
What Andrea doesn’t know is that her return to the United States will launch a chain of events that will uncover secrets hidden for decades. Secrets which will rock the Thompson family and ignite a political firestorm.
Secrets that some will kill to protect.
Girl of Lies is not the book I thought it would be. I've read A Song for Julia and The Last Hour from the first trilogy, Thompson Sisters, and although those two are by no means fun, sunny reads, this one is on a whole other level of distressed. I was introduced to it in The Last Hour, but in this book, the threat that the girls are in because of their family's connections to positions of power in the government is solidified and made very apparent.

The Thompson girls may have grown up with financial security, but that is all their dysfunctional parents have ever provided them with. They all feel neglected in many ways, but no one more so than Andrea, the youngest child in the family. I found it very strange how Andrea was shipped off to Spain to live with her grandmother when her mother would have kept her other daughters in a vise-like grip if she could. Andrea has long ago accepted it as a fact that her parents simply don't love her, but when her sisters start questioning it themselves, they all start digging around, finding answers to questions they'd - I'd - never thought to ask.

There was no moment of rest for any of the characters in this book, may they be the Thompson sisters or even the villains themselves. Everyone basically went around either looking for answers or covering up their asses, and although that made the story move painfully slow, I still couldn't stop reading. But soon enough, I got impatient and just wanted to get to the juicy parts; I think the author could have done without a few of the perspectives here and sped up the pace. Yet, as always, I was awed by how good he is at creating such diverse, fleshed-out characters and never confusing me even when they're all in one room.

Girl of Lies ended somewhat abruptly, making it feel like little to nothing was actually resolved, and that's something I didn't encounter in the first trilogy. I also think people who haven't read the previous books would be at least mildly confused when they read this because a truck-full of emotions carry over from those to this one. This book provided shocking answers to questions I'd asked in the previous books - "just what the hell is wrong with the Thompson parents" being the most major one - while raising a ton of new ones. So one thing's for sure: I'll be devouring the next book as soon as I can.

MY FAVORITE PARTS were learning the truth about Adelina, the girls' mother.

RATING:

About the author: 
Charles Sheehan-Miles has been a soldier, computer programmer, short-order cook and non-profit executive, and is the author of several fiction and non-fiction books, including the indie bestsellers Just Remember to Breathe and Republic: A Novel of America's Future. 

Find out more at http://www.sheehanmiles.com


Giveaway!

365 Days of Books: August 2013

With the new year fast coming up, I thought I'd recap 2013, the most bookish year in the history of me. There are months that just go by in a blur - no birthdays, no anniversaries, nothing. August is one of those. The only thing I remember from this month is me reading Karen Ann Hopkins' Temptation in our living room. (This is significant because I rarely hang out in our living room. I do most of my reading in bed. *shrugs*)

The Guys Are Props Club (G.A.P. #1) by Ingrid Seymour (4/5)
Temptation (Temptation #1) by Karen Ann Hopkins (4.5/5)
Belonging (Temptation #2) by Karen Ann Hopkins (4/5)
Hover (The Taking #2) by Melissa West (4/5)#
The Liberator (Dante Walker #2) by Victoria Scott (4/5)
No Reverse (Second Chances #1) by Marion Croslydon (3/5)
Antithesis by Kacey Vanderkarr (4/5)
Stormdancer (The Lotus War #1) by Jay Kristoff (3.5/5)
Chaos (Kardia Chronicles #1) by Christine O'Neil (4/5)
Total: 14 books

Book of the Month

Dec 25, 2013

365 Days of Books: July 2013

Before anything else,
I wish you guys all the best and all the books this holiday season! I'm getting one more than I got last year, so that's progress, is it not? ;D

With the new year fast coming up, I thought I'd recap 2013, the most bookish year in the history of me. Hmm, I sure read an odd assortment of books last July. Perhaps the most memorable is Starry Nights because I finished it while eating sundae and waiting to watch the City of Bones movie.

Addicted to You (Addicted #1) by Krista & Becca Ritchie (5/5)
The Rules (Project Paper Doll #1) by Stacey Kade (3.5/5)
Sweet Thing by Renee Carlino (1.5/5)
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (5/5)
The Human (The Eden Trilogy #2) by Keary Taylor (4.5/5)
Obsession by Jennifer L. Armentrout (3.5/5)
Saving Ben by Ashley Farley (3/5)
This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales (4.5/5)
Untimed by Andy Gavin (3.5/5)
Losing Francesca by J.A. Huss (3.5/5)
Starry Nights by Daisy Whitney (5/5)
Shattered Illusions by Leigh Hershkovich (4/5)
Total: 14 books

Book of the Month

Dec 24, 2013

Book Review: Angelfall - Susan Ee

Title: Angelfall (Penryn and the End of Days #1)
Author: Susan Ee
Release Date: May 23rd 2013
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Bought from Fully Booked
It's been six weeks since the angels of the apocalypse destroyed the world as we know it. Only pockets of humanity remain.
Savage street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night.
When angels fly away with a helpless girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back...
Angelfall is one of those rare books that very easily engages readers. I had to put it down a couple of times, but I was instantly sucked right back into the story when I picked it up again, like I never stopped in the first place. Penryn reminded me of Katniss Everdeen with how she had to take care of her mother and younger sister, but I think that's where the similarities end.

There was a time when I felt like all the heroines I'd been reading about were becoming stereotypical - smart, brave, short-tempered, and kickass - and then, suddenly, they stopped coming. Maybe I started looking for them in the wrong books, but the last kickass heroine I read of was Tris from Divergent, and that was last year, so Penryn was definitely like a breath of fresh air in the sea of lovesick girls - not that being in love is a weakness. Even when Penryn unknowingly started falling for Raffe, she still had her priorities sorted out, namely her family's safety. She always put herself second to them, even shoving her hurt, uncertainties, and fears into a locked compartment of her heart because she wouldn't let those puny feelings jeopardize her family's survival. 

Raffe, on the other hand, was like a closed book doused in sarcasm and danger. Except for the rare moments when he let his guard down, he was a mystery to solve. I could never guess what he'd do next, and aside from his love for his wings, sword, and Penryn, I now realize that I don't really know much else about him. Which is sad because he's probably the most honest-to-God angel I've ever read about. Also, there's just something about a superior creature's weakness and defeat that gets to me worse than a human's. The odds were not in Raffe's favor, and every time that proved true, my heart just broke.

Penryn and Raffe's romance is probably one of the most well-developed I've ever read. Their relationship may have been forged out of necessity, but they slowly started truly caring for one another and they unraveled each other with actions, not words. People say that communication is key, and I believe that too, but in a world like the one Susan Ee created, words are either a luxury or a detriment.
 
I was wary of the fact that we're given only the "angels came down from heaven and blasted everyone and everything apart" how of the apocalypse aspect and not much else. I've been a Catholic my entire life and I've always been taught that angels are God's minions in his heavenly work, not instruments to end humanity, and since this is fiction, I'm pretty sure we could have been given a damned reason for the angel apocalypse! Sadly, until the end, we are left in the dark, but only because the angels themselves are blindly following orders from way up, so fine, I'll let that go for now.
 
An intense and unpredictable adventure set in a uniquely-imagine future, Angelfall is a book to be devoured. I can't imagine anyone having a hard time reading this, and now I can say that it truly deserves all the hype. Thank heavens I have the sequel sitting beside me or I might have gone bonkers already.
 
MY FAVORITE PART was when Penryn Hulk-smashed the assclown soldier up in the hills/mountains. 
 
RATING:

365 Days of Books: June 2013

With the new year fast coming up, I thought I'd recap 2013, the most bookish year in the history of me. The most significant thing that happened last June was probably when I passed a subject without submitting a project. I remember reading Opal outside the classroom while my groupmates faced our professor's wrath (or lack of it, thereof) because our machine project was non-existent lol.

Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1) by Richelle Mead (2/5)
Outcast by Adrienne Kress (5/5)
Secret for a Song by S.K. Falls (4/5)
Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout (5/5)
Phoenix (Black City #2) by Elizabeth Richards (5/5)
Shadows (Lux #0.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout (4/5)
Our Song by Jordanna Fraiberg (4/5)
Onyx (Lux #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout (4.5/5)
My Friend the Enemy by Dan Smith (4/5)
Opal (Lux #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout (5/5)
Addicted to You by Colina Brennan (4/5)
Total: 12 books

Book of the Month

Dec 23, 2013

365 Days of Books: May 2013

With the new year fast coming up, I thought I'd recap 2013, the most bookish year in the history of me. What I remember of May is my dad being hospitalized for two weeks because of a freaky flesh-eating bacteria o.o Thankfully, he got out fine and whole.

The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher (3/5)
The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2) by Julie Kagawa (4.5/5)
Chantress (Chantress #1) by Amy Butler Greenfield (3.5/5)
Of Poseidon (Of Poseidon #1) by Anna Banks (5/5)
The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller (5/5)
Stripped (Stripped #1) by Brooklyn Skye (3/5)
Firecracker by David Iserson (4.5/5)
Screwed by Laurie Plissner (4.5/5)
The Last Hour (Thompson Sisters #3) by Charles Sheehan-Miles (4.5/5)
True (True #1) by Erin McCarthy (3.5/5)
Of Triton (Of Poseidon #2) by Anna Banks (4.5/5)
Legacy Lost (Of Poseidon #0.5) by Anna Banks (3.5/5)
Scrap (The Grimmic Chronicles #1) by Emory Sharplin (3/5)
Total: 13 books

Book of the Month

Dec 22, 2013

365 Days of Books: April 2013

With the new year fast coming up, I thought I'd recap 2013, the most bookish year in the history of me. This past April, we had our first term break of the year and I spent that week at my parents' house in the province, which meant lots of food + lots of sleep + lots of time in front of the TV + slow internet = next to zero reading done. *facepalm* 

The Collector (Dante Walker #1) by Victoria Scott (4/5)
Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful #1) by Jamie McGuire (4.5/5)
Walking Disaster (Beautiful #2) by Jamie McGuire (3.5/5)
The Bane (The Eden Trilogy #1) by Keary Taylor (2.5/5)
The Raid (The Eden Trilogy #0.6) by Keary Taylor (4/5)
Total: 9 books

Book of the Month

Dec 21, 2013

365 Days of Books: March 2013

With the new year fast coming up, I thought I'd recap 2013, the most bookish year in the history of me. March is my birth month, but despite that I rarely receive books as gifts - rare as in it's only happened once, when my brother got me a copy of The Book Thief for Christmas last year. I'm hoping he'll do it again this year, but I'm not expecting because he's not anymore a fan of my books taking over the living room. But enough of that - on to the books!

Black City (Black City #1) by Elizabeth Richards (5/5)
Geek Girl (Geek Girl #1) by Holly Smale (2.5/5)
Ever (Ever #1) by Jessa Russo (3/5)
Scarlette by Davonna Juroe (3.5/5)
Destroy Me (Shatter Me #1.5) by Tahereh Mafi (5/5)
'Til the World Ends by Julie Kagawa, Ann Aguirre, Karen Duvall (2.5/5)
There Comes a Prophet by David Litwack (4/5)
Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi (5/5)
Total: 12 books

Book of the Month

Dec 20, 2013

365 Days of Books: February 2013

With the new year fast coming up, I thought I'd recap 2013, the most bookish year in the history of me. Today, it's all about the month of hearts! I'm not one for themed reads but looking at these books now, I realize that they all have romance in them. Not that romance is rare in the books I read...

Indigo Awakening (The Hunted #1) by Jordan Dane (3/5)
Notes From Ghost Town by Kate Ellison (3.5/5)
Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas (4.5/5)
Ashes & Ice (Ashes & Ice #1) by Rochelle Maya Callen (4.5/5)
Dark Promise (Between Worlds #1) by Julia Crane & Talia Jager(1.5/5)
(2nd re-read, hence the star lol) Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi (5/5)
Hooked (Hooked #1) by Liz Fichera (5/5)
Recalled (Death Escorts #1) by Camria Hebert (3/5)
A Song for Julia (Thompson Sisters #1) by Charles Sheehan-Miles (5/5)
Total: 10 books

Book of the Month
(I decided not to include re-reads in this selection, so this time that would be Shatter Me.)

Dec 19, 2013

Book Review: Girls Are Players - Ingrid Seymour

Title: Girls Are Players (G.A.P. #2)
Author: Ingrid Seymour
Release Date: December 1st 2013
Publisher: PenDreams
Age Group: New Adult
Source: eARC from author
Jessica Norton is a villain in the body of a gorgeous, rich, college girl. She cheats, lies, plays with people’s feelings, and purposely breaks unsuspecting hearts to avenge a personal loss. She’s the kind of girl people love to hate—even if it’s just because she has it all. Except... she doesn’t have it all. What she wants most is the love of her high school sweetheart, Taylor Drennon, the guy who got away, the one who left without telling her why and caused all her bitterness.
Not surprisingly, Jessica’s evil has made her a pariah. Alone, without friends or Taylor’s love, her college life is a nightmare. She’s haunted by her own mistakes and drowning in lack of direction. Something needs to change. So when the first opportunity to turn her life around presents itself, she takes it. Home for Christmas break, Jessica runs into Taylor. His unexpected friendliness seems like an invitation to rekindle their love. Inspired by a drastic idea that will both distance her from her heinous reputation and pull her closer to Taylor, she decides to transfer to OSU where he attends under a football scholarship.
Confident she can regain his heart, Jessica reenters Taylor’s life with a splash. Failing to naturally lure him closer, she is then forced to rely on her old games and underhanded scheming. Though Jessica’s heart is in the right place, it is hidden from Taylor by her blunders. More than once their powerful chemistry takes control, leading Jessica to believe she’s winning. But, it’s a hot and cold affair, and she’s not the only one to blame for their stormy love. If Jessica can only coax Taylor into explaining why he doesn’t want her, maybe she could finally walk away from him for good, maybe she could finally be happy.
(Slight spoilers if you haven't read the first book.)

I had no idea what to expect from Girls Are Players. I knew it's about Jessica, the scheming, manipulative frienemy of the protagonist from book one, and I could clearly remember how much I hated her. She created the Guys Are Props—G.A.P. for short—Club for brokenhearted girls who wanted to get back at mankind by breaking their hearts, because she herself had been burned before, but now we learn just how deep that wound had gone.

With the dissolution of her Club, Jessica is hated and has lost any sense of direction she thought she had. She goes home for the holidays and, dun dun dun, bumps into Taylor, her high school sweetheart who broke her heart. She's obviously not over him, so when he shows that he's still interested, the proactive—and maybe slightly obsessive—Jessica that we met in book one comes back out and transfers to the university that Taylor is attending. He freaks, they make out, and then he tells her to leave him alone. Wait, what? Right then, I knew something shady happened when they broke up.

It was plain to see that Jessica wanted to change for the better but had no idea where to start, and I wished Taylor would just give her a list of what to do so they could live happily ever after. But no, instead he kept on pushing her away and giving ridiculously vague reasons as to why they couldn't be together—which frustrated the hell out of me, by the way. But when he finally did tell her, I thought his reason was shit! It'd been one of the main reasons why I couldn't stop reading, and it ended up having me pulling at my hair. So yeah, I won't elaborate because then this would be really spoiler-y, but suffice to say that that wasn't one of Taylor's shining moments.

Sexy, entertaining, and unpredictable, Girls Are Players gave equal focus to Jessica's road from heartbroken-ness and to finding herself. It didn't go the way I wanted it to but, like I said, unpredictable. This book certainly trumps its predecessor, and my fingers are itching for the next one!

MY FAVORITE PART was strip poker! :))

RATING: