Waiting on Wednesday #4

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by, Breaking the Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on!

Title: The Statistical Probability of Love
             at First Sight

Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Release Date: January 2nd, 2012
Publisher: Poppy

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18B. Hadley's in 18A.

Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it

Eeee!  Reading a well written romantic book always seems to feel like falling in love for the first time.  I've always had a big heart and even since I was around the age of three, I've known how to appreciate an attractive boy.

Just look at the title of that book!  How can I not fall in love with it already?

What book are you waiting for this wonderful Wednesday?  

Top Ten Tuesday- Winter TBR Pile

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

This week we're listing the top ten books we want to read this winter!

1. Delirium by Lauren Oliver

2. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

3. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

4. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

5. Across the Universe by Beth Revis

6. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

7. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

8. Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

9. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

10. Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

The first five books are some that have been sitting on my shelves for a while, waiting for me to dig in.  The last five are ebooks that I have on my new Kindle (which I haven't gotten the chance to use yet).  If I enjoy the ebooks as much as I believe I will, I know I'll be buying physical copies of them in the future.


Feel free to link your Top Ten Tuesdays in the comments!
Also, want to win one of these books listed?  Enter my giveaway for your book of choice from The Book Depository!  The link is in the sidebar under the "About Me" section.  :)  Happy reading!

Teaser Tuesdays: Shatter Me

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Oh man, I've been waiting to read Shatter Me for a while.  I finally got it, thanks to my lovely boyfriend, so I decided that this book needs to be read right away.  I don't think I've been this excited since The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer!


Here's my teaser for the week.  It comes from page 122.


"The walls are wallpapered in cloth the color of a perfect summer sky, the floor tucked into a carpet 2 inches thick, the entire room empty but for 2 velvet chairs punched out of a constellation.  Even varying hue is like a bruise, like a beautiful mistake, like a reminder of what they did to Adam because of me."

If you want to enter for a chance to win this book, you can enter the giveaway I'm holding by clicking here!  You can win this book or any other one under $10 at The Book Depository.  :)

Review: As You Wish by Jackson Pearce

Title: As You Wish
Author: Jackson Pearce
Publisher: HarperTeen
Age Group: Young Adult
Category: Paranormal Romance
Release date: September 1st, 2009
Pages: 304 (Paperback)
Rating: 4 out of 5
Source: Bought

Ever since Viola's boyfriend broke up with her, she has spent her days silently wishing—to have someone love her again and, more importantly, to belong again—until one day she inadvertently summons a young genie out of his world and into her own. He will remain until she makes three wishes.

Jinn is anxious to return home, but Viola is terrified of wishing, afraid she will not wish for the right thing, the thing that will make her truly happy. As the two spend time together, the lines between master and servant begin to blur, and soon Jinn can't deny that he's falling for Viola. But it's only after Viola makes her first wish that she realizes she's in love with Jinn as well . . . and that if she wishes twice more, he will disappear from her life—and her world—forever.

Jackson Pearce spins a magical tale about star-crossed lovers, what it means to belong . . . and how important it is to be careful what you wish for.

When I first picked up As You Wish, I didn't know what to expect.  The only things I knew about Jackson Pearce was that she's pretty entertaining (I watch her vlogs religiously) and that she's written a book that I've wanted for a long time, called Sisters Red.

As it turns out, As You Wish was not only a fun read.  It also made me want to get my hands on Jackson's other books as well, making me very confident that I'll enjoy them just as much, if not more.  The poor main character of this novel has dealt with love and loss, like many teenagers her age.  The only difference was that her ex boyfriend and now-best-friend turned out to be gay and for some reason, she was the only one that couldn't see it coming.  Oh, I'm sure this happens a lot.  At one time, I was almost positive that it would happen to me once Lance Bass (the first love of my life) came out of the closet.  After all, it did not, yet I still felt that I could relate to Viola.

Like Viola, I spent my high school years feeling broken and as if I didn't quite belong with the people that surrounded me.  This constant wishing caused a jinn (or genie) to be summoned to grant her three wishes.  At first, she denied the jinn's plea to wish.  He didn't care for what she wished for, he only wanted to get back to his home.  The more time he spent on this earth, the more he felt himself aging.  Eventually, one of the wishes came out of her mouth and it made her happy for a while, until Viola realized that she wanted something completely different.

To me, the story is about making the right choices, not only for you, but for the people that surround you.  Jinn's character grew on me from the moment he broke protocol to show himself in front of Viola's best friend.  Jackson Pearce really knows how to make you beg Viola not to wish, because as soon as she does, you know that Jinn will disappear from the story.

In My Mailbox #19

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren

I wasn't sure whether or not to share this week because I only got one book in the mail.  I decided that since I'm so excited to be able to read it, I'll share the excitement with you!

-Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Eek!  My boyfriend ordered it for me out of the blue, which is one of the many reasons I love him.

Oh, you better know that I'll be reading this next.  

I also wanted to apologize because my blog has been lacking reviews lately, though my review for As You Wish by Jackson Pearce should be up shortly.  :)

Thanks for stopping by!  What was in your mailbox this week?

P.S. My 100 Follower Giveaway is still going on until December 16th.  The link to the giveaway is on my sidebar, right above the Followers.  :)  If you choose to enter (or already have), good luck!  

I'm a little late, but...

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope my American friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday.  I know I did.
It was so busy for me.  As soon as we got home from the awesome feast, I had to leave for work at American Eagle.  After getting off at 6 this morning, we went out and shopped a little, but there was really nothing worth spending money on!  The only good deals I found were at Urban Outfitters, getting a dress for $15, a shirt for $10, The Bell Jar and a pair of tights for $2.50 each.  The funny thing was that we didn't have to wait in line for any of the stores we went to, which is weird for Black Friday. 

What was your favorite part of Thanksgiving?  Were you one of the crazies that went out to shop at midnight/ 5 AM?  My favorite part is always the sweet potatoes and being with family, although the people I spend the holiday with aren't related by blood.  

If you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you had a wonderful Thursday and Friday! 

Waiting on Wednesday #3

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by, Breaking the Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on!

Title: The Disenchantments

Author: Nina LaCour

Release Date: February 16th, 2012
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Colby and Bev have a long-standing pact: graduate, hit the road with Bev's band, and then spend the year wandering around Europe. But moments after the tour kicks off, Bev makes a shocking announcement: she's abandoning their plans - and Colby - to start college in the fall.

But the show must go on and The Disenchantments weave through the Pacific Northwest, playing in small towns and dingy venues, while roadie- Colby struggles to deal with Bev's already-growing distance and the most important question of all: what's next?

Morris Award—finalist Nina LaCour draws together the beauty and influences of music and art to brilliantly capture a group of friends on the brink of the rest of their lives.

If you've been following this blog, you know that I LOVE contemporary.  At first the cover caught my eye, but I grew to love the summary too.  I'm just hoping that I'll end up enjoying this book as much as I want to.

Have you read it already, or is it on your wishlist?  

What book are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Oh, if you didn't already know, I'm having my 100 Follower Giveaway, where you can enter to win a book of choice from The Book Depository!  The giveaway ends December 16th.  (enter here)

Top Ten Tuesday- Authors I want to invite to Thanksgiving

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

This week we're listing the top ten authors we'd like to share our 

Thanksgiving feasts with!

1. Francesca Lia Block-

Most of you know by now that she was my first favorite author.  In fact, I own about 15 of her books.  What else can I say?  Her work inspires me more than anyone's.   

2. Simone Elkeles-
Perfect Chemistry is one of the best books I've read this year!  I've always been the type of girl that falls in love with love, so I know I can talk to her about that!  Actually, I think I can talk to all of the authors on my list about romance.

3. Jackson Pearce-
Okay, so I'm in the middle of reading my first book from her, but that's not why I'd like her at my Thanksgiving.  I love watching her vlogs because she has an awesome personality!  I do promise to read more by her, though.  :)

4. Michelle Hodkin-
Uh, hello??  Haven't you read my review of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer?  I loved that book, so that automatically means I love Michelle!

5. Stephanie Perkins-
I've only read Anna and the French Kiss so far, but I'm dying to read Lola!  And the book she'll be coming out with next year!  We're both romance junkies and I think she'll appreciate having Francesca Lia Block at the dinner because I read that one of her favorite books is Weetzie Bat!  

6. Kody Keplinger-
I always felt like The DUFF of my group of friends in high school, so I'd love to have a chat with her!

7. Lauren Oliver-
I absolutely loved Before I Fall.  So much that I read it all in one sitting.  I never do that, especially with a book over 400 pages.  

8. Issac Marion-
Both Santi and I read Warm Bodies and loved every bit of it.  His writing is unique and to tell you the truth, I have a tiny crush on him.  Shh!  Don't tell.

9. David Levithan-
The first book I read of his was Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, co-written by Rachel Cohn, who I'd known previously from Gingerbread.  After falling in love with that one, I picked up Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List.  It was safe to say that I was becoming a fan.  This reminds me...I need to add Every You, Every Me to my Christmas wishlist...

10. Stephen Chbosky-
I can't forget to add the author of one of my favorite books.  I've read The Perks of Being a Wallflower about four times already and I love it more each time.

Which authors do you want to give thanks to? 

Thanks for stopping by and happy early Thanksgiving!  :D

Enter HERE to win a book $10 or less from The Book Depository 

(ends December 16th!)

Teaser Tuesdays: As You Wish

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Around the time I discovered book blogging, I came across an author doing vlogs on Youtube.  That author's name is Jackson Pearce, and I recognized the name from a book that I've heard a lot about- Sisters Red.  Unfortunately, I still haven't picked it up, but it is high on my wishlist!  Anyways, I loved her personality so much and when I found As You Wish on sale, I jumped at the chance to buy it.  So far, I'm enjoying it.

Here's my teaser for the week!


"I don't want to move, afraid I'll wake her and she'll pull away , so I hold her for a moment longer.  I wonder if this is what sleep on Earth always feels like--soft and delicate, like baby's breath flowers." 

Thanks for stopping by!  Care to tease me?  Leave the link below.  :)

Reminder: I still have my 100 Follower Giveaway going on.  You can win your choice of book from The Book Depository!  [[[ENTER HERE!]]]

Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Age Group: Young Adult
Category: Paranormal Romance/ Mystery
Release date: September 27th, 2011
Pages: 452 (Hardcover)
Rating: 5 out of 5
Source: Won

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed. There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. She's wrong.

This is a book that I've been waiting all year to read.  From the moment I saw the cover, I was in love.  I read the description and I was left swooning over it.  The title is even more amazing that the cover and description combined.  I needed to get my hands on it.  Finally, I did.  This was my most anticipated book of 2011 and it did not disappoint.  Granted, I didn't get through it all in one day, but it did hold my interest.  Mara made me say "wtf?" more times than I can count.

The prologue was just incredible.  Definitely the perfect way to reel someone into the story.  Any scene that has an Ouija board in it is okay in my book.  What we learn at that point is creepy, but also very important to the rest of the story.  First we start with Mara, who's been in a horrible accident.  She was the survivor, yet her three close friends weren't as lucky as she was.  After each of their funerals, Mara and her family decide to start new lives in a new place- Florida.  She has post traumatic stress disorder, as anyone would, being in such a traumatic event.  At her new school, she starts to see things that aren't quite there.  Her dead friends are a perfect example.

Oh yes, there is romance.  What would I be if I read books without romance?  This one really didn't need it, but I enjoyed it, nonetheless.  Noah Shaw.  At first he reminded me of Sebastian from Cruel Intentions, but with a British accent.  What's up with all the boys from England recently?  Why don't authors throw in some Aussies or Spanish guys?  They're equally as sexy, but I digress.  Noah is labeled as a playboy.  Every girl that even passes him is left in a daze.  Think zombie.  Think of yourself when you had the biggest crush of your teenage life.  I don't know about you, but I know I had some pretty large crushes that turned me into a sweating, shaking, babbling idiot.

At first Mara stayed away from Noah.  She made a friends with a boy named Jamie, who looked to be one of the only people that didn't belong at the prestigious private school.  He tells her things about Noah and she stays away for as long as she can, but she just can't help it.  Seemingly, most girls in the story can't stay away from Noah.  They all pine for him, and when he starts to show an interest in Mara, she gets the short end of the stick.  One girl in particular has it out for her and won't stop until she ruins one good thing in Mara's new life.

When Mara's dad begins to work on a case involving the murder of a local girl, things get even weirder.  To stop the hallucinations, she goes on an antipsychotic medication, but there are things that happen that she can't quite explain yet.  The prescription is supposed to stop her from seeing things that aren't there.  What she doesn't exactly realize is that she isn't always hallucinating.

Michelle Hodkin had me hanging on to every last word.  I didn't even know what to label this book.  Paranormal?  Romance?  Mystery?  Psychological thriller?  All of the above, creating pure awesomeness?  Maybe.  Some of the things that happen to Mara go unexplained until the end of the book and since you're seeing it through her eyes, you don't know what is real or her imagination.  I actually found myself reading and telling my boyfriend every crazy/ funny/ intricate thing about the chapters I read by the end of the book.  By the time you get to the last 10 chapters, you better be ready to read the book until the end, because even I couldn't put it down.  The ending, though, was the worst.  I mean that in a good way.  I'm still confused as to what happened, and maybe that's a good thing.  I'm going to be getting the second in the series as soon as it comes out, that's for sure.

Quotes I just have to share


- "No," I said, louder this time. "I mean asscrown. The crown on top of the asshat that covers the asshole of the assclown. The very zenith in the hierarchy of asses," I said, as though I was reading from a dictionary of modern profanity.

"I guess you nailed me then.”


- “Noah shifted on the bed, and the oddest crunching sound came underneath him. I looked, really looked, at the bed for the first time.
"What," I asked slowly, as I eyed the animal crackers strewn all over it, "the hell?"

"You were convinced they were your pets," Noah said, not even trying to suppress his laughter. "You wouldn't let me touch them.”


- “You told me I smelled - like bacon." 
"Well," he said evenly. "That's awkward.”

In My Mailbox #18

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by the awesome Story Siren.

Unfortunately, I'm still on my book buying ban, so the only way I'll see any new books in my mailbox is if they are won, gifted, and (hopefully one day) for review.  I'm not sure how long the ban will last, exactly, but I'm trying my best to hold out for as long as I can.

Won

-Beautiful Days by Anna Godbersen
(From Alanna @ The Flashlight Reader)

-The Mediator by Meg Cabot (Signed)
-Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder (Signed)
(From Jen @ At Random)

-Prom Nights From Hell by various authors
-Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions by various authors (Signed by Melissa Marr)

(From First Novels Club)

-The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal

(From Aurora @ Young Adult Sci-fi and Fantasy)

I have to say, these books don't automatically scream my name, but I have had a few on my wishlist for a while!  As always, thank you to those who have sent me books.  You just fuel my addiction.  :)

And thank you for stopping by!  What was in your mailbox this week?

Follow Friday #4

Follow Friday is a weekly blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.


Question:
Letter to Santa: Tell Santa what books you want for Christmas!

Answer:
Although I asked Santa for a new bookcase and luggage, 
if Santa does happen to grant my book wishes, here's my list!

-Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
-Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
-The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
-Eve by Anna Carey
-Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey
-Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Although if Santa doesn't bring me the books I want, Santi (my boyfriend) might!  :P 

 I gave him pretty much this same list when he asked what I wanted if the pair of boots I want go out of stock.  What a sweetheart!  :)  

What's on your list this Friday?  Thanks for hopping by!

Waiting on Wednesday #2

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by, Breaking the Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on!

Title: Still Waters

Author: Emma Carlson Berne

Release Date: December 20th, 2011
Publisher: SimonPulse

Hannah can't wait to sneak off for a romantic weekend with her boyfriend, Colin. He’s leaving for college soon, and Hannah wants their trip to the lake house to be one they’ll never forget.

But once Hannah and Colin get there, things start to seem a bit...off. They can't find the town on any map. The house they are staying in looks as if someone's been living there, even though it's been deserted for years. And Colin doesn’t seem quite himself. As he grows more unstable, Hannah worries about Colin’s dark side, and her own safety.

Nothing is as perfect as it seems, and what lies beneath may haunt her forever.

There are so many books being released that sound amazing.  I had so many to choose from, but this Wednesday I chose Still Waters because it sounds so incredibly eerie.

Is this one on your wishlist too?  What are you waiting for this Wednesday?

P.S. I have an international giveaway going on.  The winner gets a $10 book of his or her choice from the Book Depository!  
Click here to read over the rules and enter!

Top Ten Tuesday- Books collecting dust

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

This week we're listing the top ten books we've been meaning to read but haven't gotten to yet, for whatever 

reason.

1. Delirium by Lauren Oliver


2. Across the Universe by Beth Revis

3. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly



4. The Luxe (including the rest of the series) by Anna Godbersen





5. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson



6. Paper Towns by John Green

7. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins



8. White Cat by Holly Black

9. The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor



10.  Wither by Lauren DeStefano

I've heard SO many great things about these books, but I still haven't read them.  What's wrong with me?  Hopefully I'll get to each of these soon, but there are just so many good books to choose from...

What books are on your top ten?

If you didn't know, I'm having my first giveaway!  It's international, so be sure to check that out, especially if you enjoy free books.

Teaser Tuesdays: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

If you haven't heard about this book...where have you been?  It's been on my wishlist all year and when I finally received it in the mail last week, I had to start reading it as soon as I finished the last book I read, Anna and the French Kiss (which was amazing).


This teaser comes from page 218:

When I opened my eyes, a fair-skinned guy with blond hair and hazel eyes was standing next to the table with an earnest expression. 

He was cute.  

By the way, don't miss out on my first giveaway!

It's international as long as The Book Depository ships to you!  

100 Follower Giveaway! (INTERNATIONAL)

I said it was coming and here it is!  My 100 follower giveaway!  

Thank you all so much for making this possible.  I'll try to make this as simple as I can, but bare with me, it's my first time!  If I'm missing anything important, please tell me in the comments and I'll be sure to change it right away.

The giveaway is for your choice of book under $10 from The Book Depository.  

As long as it ships to your country, you can enter!

Rules: 

-You must be a follower of the blog.
-13 years or older.
-Make sure The Book Depository ships to your country!

Extra Entries:

-Add my button to your sidebar (+5)
-Follow me on twitter or goodreads (+1 each)
-Spread the word! (+2)

Fill out the FORM to be entered!

The giveaway ends on December 16th, 2011.

GOOD LUCK!  :)


P.S. This is also my 100th post!  What a weird coincidence.  


This giveaway is now CLOSED.  Thank you for participating!  I'll be choosing a winner shortly.

Look Familiar?

I was going through my Tumblr archives and apparently

 I reblogged this picture in March.

Finding it made me smile so hard.  

Do you recognize the couple?  Tell me where they're from in the comments!

It'll be so easy for you since so many people love this book!

In My Mailbox #17- The Lazy Edition!

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by the ever-so-awesome Story Siren.

It's been a long time, hasn't it?  That means I have a lot of new books to share with you guys.  I don't really feel like finding every single book I've gotten in the past few months, so I won't be taking pictures this time.  I will next time, I promise.

Bought (before my book buying ban!)

-Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

-Wings by Aprilynne Pike
-As You Wish by Jackson Pearce
-Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi

-Evernight by Claudia Gray
-Stargazer by Claudia Gray

Gifted

-A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

-Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
(Both are books from my boyfriend and although Behemoth was technically for him, it still lives with me.)
-A Kindle
(From my boyfriends parents, just because.  Can you believe it??)

Won
-Vanish by Sophie Jordan

(ARC from Goodreads)
-Scars by Cheryl Rainfield
(Signed from Cheryl)
-Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
(ARC from Mel @ He Followed Me Home)
-Love Story by Jennifer Echols
(From Amy @ Book Goonie)
-Choker by Elizabeth Woods
(From Rochelle @ Books Like Stars)
-My Beating Teenage Heart by C.K. Kelly Martin
(ARC from Random Buzzers)
-Glow by Amy Ryan
(Audiobook from Wendy @ Minding Spot)
-How to Safe a Life by Sara Zarr
(From Tiger Holland @ All Consuming Books)
-Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amanda Ashby
(From Marla @ Starting the Next Chapter)
-Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
(From Nimue @ Endlessly Bookish)
-The Hollow by Jessica Verday
(Book, bookmark, mug, and tea are from Juliet @ The Attic Reviews)
-The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
(From Hannah @ Paperback Treasures)

Thank you so much to everyone that has sent me books within the past few months.  I can't wait to enjoy each and every one of them!  Receiving gifts (although I've won them, I consider them gifts) in the mail always makes my day.  <3

Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton
Age Group: Young Adult
Category: Contemporary
Release date: December 2nd, 2010
Pages: 372 (Hardcover)
Rating: 5 out of 5
Source: Bought

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?

Anna and the French Kiss makes my heart thump, thump, thump.

Stephanie Perkins did a perfect job creating this sweet- yet slightly sticky- romance.  The story is filled with so much emotion.  One minute your heart is content, your stomach is starting to feel little wings fluttering against your insides and the next your eyebrows are furrowed in confusion, trying to figure out why one of the characters would do such a thing.  The anticipation fills you up until you think you're just about to burst, when finally, there's relief.  But wait, it's not over yet.  There's that turn you were expecting.  Then everything is okay again.  Poor Anna and St. Clair and the emotional roller coaster they're trapped on.

As previously stated, St. Clair and I have a love/hate relationship.  I love him, I really do, but there are just things about him that irk me.  Throughout the book, he barely seems to make the decisions I'm begging him to make.  I know it's not always his fault, but come on, dude!  I've never, ever felt this way about any other book character.  The moments where the author showed the intimate feelings between St. Clair and Anna were breathtaking and I can relate to that feeling, so it made the experience even better.

Before reading, I barely knew anything about Paris, and now I feel like I've lived there with Anna for nine months.  I feel like I've watched this girl blossom from an insecure teenager into a confident young woman, battling heartbreak and forgotten friendships.

I believe that most people who pick up this book will realize that these characters are definitely relatable, making it easier to become attached to the story.  I'm a hopeless romantic and I always love a happy ending.  This book sure gave me what I wanted.  Stephanie Perkins has created a charming, witty, and brilliant treasure that I will make sure to pass on.

My Love/Hate Relationship with Étienne St. Clair

Oh, St. Clair, every girl I've come across loves you.  I love you too.  Sometimes.

If you don't know who I'm talking about, you're crazy, Étienne St. Clair is a character from one of the most beloved books written by Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss.  He's American/British/French and perfect.  Most times, at least.  

Maybe I have something against him because of the way he makes Anna feel throughout the book.  I know that feeling all too well.  Thankfully, I'm over the whole boy drama part of my life.  That doesn't mean I don't enjoy reading it.

I just wanted to slap some sense into him.  I know he has issues, we all do, but why couldn't he see her standing there, waiting for him to realize that she was what he needed to get through everything?  There were also so many times where I gripped the book tighter as I anticipated what I thought would happen, which of course, didn't.  It never did when I thought it would.

I also love St. Clair.  He's witty and hilarious and his British accent makes me blush.  Well, the British accent that I imagine, at least...The way he cares for his friends is respectable, and that makes me glad that he's not a complete douche...like Toph, but I won't get into that right now.  

Oh, St. Clair, why must you be so difficult?

P.S. my review of Anna is coming soon!  

Should be up today or tomorrow.  :)

Random Thoughts- Waiting for Books

As book bloggers, one of the many joys we have are seeing a package in the mail.  

There are all sorts of ways to add to our personal libraries.  Some buy, win giveaways and contests, participate in RAK, or receive them for review.

There have been several instances where I'm left waiting for books that never show up.  What do you do if this situation occurs?  I usually feel bad, especially if I need to contact a publisher to remind them to send it.  Obviously, publishing companies are busy.  They don't have time to worry about whether they sent your book or not.  There have also been times where I've won giveaways from blogs and never received them.  I understand if you're waiting on cash, believe me, but why hold a giveaway when you know you're not going to send the winner the book for months or, *gasp!* ever?

Has this happened to you?  Feel free to join in and tell me your thoughts.  Should I feel bad when I want to contact the people responsible?