P.S. I Still Love You Review

Title: P.S. I Still Love You
Author: Jenny Han
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Blurb: (from goodreads) Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.
She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.
When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing.

Me: Lara Jean fell in love with Peter...and I fell in love with Jenny Han yet again. 

The Ups: First of all, "admire" is not enough to sum up my feelings for Jenny Han. I've read every single book of hers, even Shug, and I adore the Summer series (let's be real, who doesn't). But this. This was just off the charts. How does she do this to my heart?

Lara Jean is perfect. I love her with all my heart. I relate so much to her feelings and the way she feels and thinks about certain are exactly the way I would think. She is my soul mate. I loved all the Korean references especially the one about jung...

“There's a Korean word my grandma taught me. It's called jung. It's the connection between two people that can't be severed, even when love turns to hate. You still have those old feelings for them; you can't ever completely shake them loose of you; you will always have tenderness in your heart for them.” 

Being of South Korean heritage myself, all the food names and hanbok and everything felt like a mini shout-out to people like me, or Lara Jean. The jung quote hit me in the heart though, because it is a concept and a word that is unique to the Korean language.

From the first book, I had hated Peter Kavinsky. There's a little bit more love blooming for him in my heart though. He's coming through. However, I loved John Ambrose more. That's all I will say. No spoilers. (WHY DO I ALWAYS FALL FOR THE OTHER GUY)

I love the warm feeling in my heart that all of Jenny Han's books give me. All the girly details are so freaking adorable, like the baking and style of Lara Jean. Style goals. And the writing is heartfelt and comfortable, like a cup of hot chocolate. 
There will be books that thrill me, scare me, that feel like a crazy roller coaster ride, but I know I'll always fall back on the books that feel like home to me-Jenny Han's. 

The Downs: Are there ever downs?

Oh jk. I still hate Genevieve. The situation she's in does not forgive anything. And Peter should have dealt with that better. No more spoilers. 

Overall: Such a great sequel to the first book, and I fell in love with the characters all over again. 

Rating: BMS! 

All the Bright Places Review

Title: All the Bright Places
Author: Jennifer Niven
 Publisher: Knopf
Genre: Romance, Contemporary

Spoilers are in white. Highlight to read. 

Blurb:(from goodreads) Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.
 
Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.
 
When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.
 
This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.

Me: I am speechless, I am wonderstruck. I am mindblown and torn apart and crying and amazed. 

The Ups: The fact that I am even trying to review this book and trying to analyze it is so crazy, because I am at a loss for words. I went into this novel not too pumped because I thought that it could never top Eleanor and Park or The Fault In Our Stars and would just be a weird knock-off, but I was so wrong.

I have never met a character like Theodore Finch. I have never seen such a character who loved so strongly and so passionately and was so incredibly smart and talented but broken at the same time. His love, his passion, his beauty really came to me like no other. He was horrific but beautiful, shattered but lovely. The fact that he was bipolar scared me so much, but I think that the way it was written and the way I could feel it slowly getting to him made it even better. 

Violet Markey, I loved, because she was nothing special. She had had such horrible things happen to her, but she really gained strength as the book went on. She was incredibly afraid, but wouldn't admit it. And the thing that I also really liked was that I could see her moving on. I could see her always remembering Finch, but becoming a really amazing person. That gave me a lot of hope at the end.

The two of them together were beautiful. They were the Jovian-Plutonian gravitational chamber. (Read the book you'll get it.) They were, I think, a match that would have been incredibly unlikely but they connected because of what they had experienced, what they had gone through.  There was just so much beauty in this book. It was one of those stories that really makes you think and try to understand the book and just life in general after you read it, and I shed quite a lot of tears in the book, not because it was overly depressing, but because I realized that this was something real people had to deal with, and that broke my heart. 
It makes us question:
"Can we just ever cut out all the bad words from our lives?"

The Downs: I started writing this review about 30 minutes after I read the book, after I relaxed a bit and stopped crying. Right then and there, the book was flawless. It had completely blown me away. Now, looking back on the book, I realize that there were some technical things that I hadn't noticed while reading it, but it doesn't matter, really, because what I took from the book was the intense emotion I had felt right after reading it. 

Overall: It's been a very long time since I've read any book that moved me this much, especially a romance.

Rating: Beat. My. Scale. 

Hush, Hush Review

Title: Hush, Hush
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance

Blurb: (from goodreads) A SACRED OATH
A FALLEN ANGEL
A FORBIDDEN LOVE

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

Me: First of all, I went on goodreads and was absolutely appalled by the amount of controversy this book has gotten. Literally, the ratings were either 1 star or 5 stars. And I have quite some stuff to say about the book.

The Ups: I thought that the book was rather enjoyable during the actual period I was reading it. It was very fast-paced which I enjoyed, because being so incredibly tired and busy these days, it was nice that I could slip in and out of the world of the book very quickly and I thought that it kept me entertained throughout the story. There was a lot of action, suspense, and I got interested in what was happening. 

The concept of fallen angels, and Nephilim was very fresh and interesting, and I think it was cool to think of good gone wrong, and how even the most holiest or "good" creatures would succumb to desire. I've read a crazy amount of books on fairies, vampires, and werewolves, but angels were a new idea. 

The Downs: This book is a romance novel. Right? I mean, that's what it's supposed to be. And I fell for Patch the first time that he popped up. But as the book went on, I found him to be borderline abusive and not attractive or nice at all. And when I don't like the romantic interest in a romance novel, that kind of defeats the whole purpose of the novel. I think that if the novel had expanded more on the entire angel/Nephilim idea it would have been much more interesting than just trying to make the romance work. 
I also think that the actual action happened too late in the book. I understand that it was building up to a certain climax and that there was a lot of romantic building and information that we needed, but I wish that it would have happened at a bit of a faster pace. I just really think that if the book had been primarily based on the paranormal part of the story and not the romance, it would have been much more enjoyable.
I found the book very predictable. It just seemed like another generic paranormal story for me. I saw a lot of things coming and it just generally didn't excite me very much. 

Overall: Fascinating concept, but wasn't written the way I would've liked it. 

Rating: 2 kisses!

Love Minus Eighty Review

Title: Love Minus Eighty 
Author: Will McIntosh
Publisher: Orbit
Genre: Sci-fi, Romance, Dystopian 

Blurb: (from goodreads) Years in the future, dead women in cryogenic dating farms await rich, lonely suitors to resurrect them and take them home. LOVE MINUS EIGHTY follows interconnected lives touched by these dating farms. There's Rob, who accidentally kills a jogger, then sells everything to visit her, seeking her forgiveness but instead falling in love. Veronika, a socially-awkward dating coach, finds herself responsible for the happiness of a man whose life she saved against his will. And Mira, a gay woman accidentally placed in the heterosexual dating center near its inception, desperately seeks a way to reunite with her frozen partner as the centuries pass. In this daring and big-hearted novel based on the Hugo-winning short story, the lovelorn navigate a world in which technology has reached the outer limits of morality and romance. 

Me: I. Am. Mindblown. Most futuristic novels share the same high technology and advanced systems and whatnot. But this view on future romance is something really new.

The Ups: First of all, this cover is sheer beauty. Not that you can see it or anything, but if you get the book, you'll see what I mean. And that's what made me pick up the book. The cover. 
How can you not be mesmerized by the idea of dead women literally "frozen" and desperate for dates to keep them from being "thawed"? It's such a crazy, messed-up, yet somehow pretty possible idea. I just really enjoyed imagining this world. Will McIntosh really described it so well, and it was crazily fun to figuratively create the world inside my head. The thing is, his predictions are not so far-fetched. We, as humans, naturally have a fear of death. Or maybe not a fear, but a certain want to keep living, to fight with everything. And when a loved one dies, there are people desperate to bring them back to life. And that's what this book does. It shows how desperate people can be, how far we go for it. 
I loved the romance. Love's hard. It takes a certain amount of effort, of...love. Love Minus Eighty really shows those struggles and yet the beauty of it in a masterly crafted futuristic world. Rob and Veronika and Winter and Mira, they were willing to fight through it, to showcase their flaws.
The ending wasn't perfect. Nathan and Veronika weren't perfectly happy, the romance between Rob and Winter worked out, but didn't come to a complete resolution. Mira hadn't quite been revived. There was a conclusion, but it also left me questioning, wanting answers.

The Downs: I feel like Mira didn't get enough time in the story. I think that she had the potential to display her pain, to showcase the desperateness of any bridesicle, and especially her struggle being gay but hiding it to stay "alive."
I get the entire concept of her getting "turned off" and then coming back to life, but I think that her story fascinated me and I would have wanted to see more of her character.

Rating: 4 kisses!

Alienated Review

Title: Alienated
Author: Melissa Landers
Publisher: Hyperion
Genre: Sci-fi, Romance

Blurb: Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them. 

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class. 

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

Me: Aliens that are just crazy-evolved humans that don't have three eyes and green skin? Seems awesomeee.

The Ups: The entire concept of aliens not being some weird "I come in peace" green things and intellectually advanced, selectively bred, "better" versions of humans was really cool. I think that the entire concept of other life on other planets fascinates me, and to think of it like this was very fresh. I really enjoyed imagining L'eihr and the people living on it, and their culture and such. 

Aelyx was an amazing character, and I totally had a huge crush on him. I am not ashamed. I think that he really embodied how we make mistakes and view groups as stereotypes, and only think the way we were raised to think. His intellect and his cultural differences made him the perfect amount of awkward. 

Cara was, I think, somewhat of a "perfect" girl, and that annoyed me at first, but as the book went on and everyone seemed to hate her, I think that made me feel kind of sorry for her and sympathize.

What I really liked, though, were the small supporting characters. Tori and Eric were especially my favorite, sticking with her until the end. Her parents too, I think, showed a incredible surge of bravery. 

The Downs: This book had the potential to be something more. It had the strength to not be just another romance novel, but to make people compare our everyday lives and our bias about things we don't know, and how we could work to break that wall. Instead it turned into a book about saving Earth and staying together to marry each other or whatever and I was over here like, "Come ON." 

Also that and the book was so crazy cheesy. Like cheesy as in double cheese hamburger with a hunk of cheese as the burger and cheese fries with it. Some parts I was inwardly groaning because I could not take that much stereotypical teenage love at one time. 

Overall: Not bad, but it could have been more. 

Rating: 3 kisses! 

To All The Boys I've Loved Before Review

Title: To All The Boys I've Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Romance 

Blurb: (from goodreads) To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all. 

Me: Personally I just have such love for Jenny Han. Something about her writing feels like coming home after a long, tiring trip. Her word usage and dialogue make you feel like her characters live next door, or in your school, or in you. 

The Ups: Jenny Han, in her solo published novels, usually writes about sweet romance stories. But unlike the steamy, hot writing other authors use, her romance is innocent, pure, adorable, and painfully relatable. This book did not fail to disappoint. In fact, I think every single girl...ever can relate to just the title. I think Lara Jean may just be my favorite character of all time. I swear this girl is my soul mate. 
I loved the tight relationships her family/friends had. They weren't always perfect, but in the end, everything came together.
Speaking of, I think one of my favorite little aspects was "the Song girls". The sisterly bond was beautiful. 
I'm such a sweet, girly, realistic fiction lover and Jenny Han just satisfies all those wants. This book would be great for anytime when you just want to feel loved and warm and secure. 
I personally loved this book because Lara Jean is half Korean, so there were lots of references. My favorite part...
"There are very limited options for Asian girls on Halloween. Like one year I went as Velma from scooby-Doo, but people just asked if I was a manga character. I even wore a wig! So now I'm committed to dressing up as Asian characters exclusively...This year I'm going as Cho Chang from Harry Potter." 
Literally what I was going to go as this year. Jenny Han reads my mind. 

The Downs: Peter Kavinsky. The jerk. I dislike him with a passion and it annoys me that Lara Jean just kind of looked past all the "bad things" and fell in love with him or whatever all over again. I don't want to spoil the ending, but him as one of the love interests was...annoying. 

Overall: Still perfect, Jenny Han, still perfect. (Did I mention I got to meet her? Squee!)

Rating: 5 kisses!

Eleanor and Park Review

Title: Eleanor and Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Romance, Contemporary

Blurb: Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.

Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

Me: Well welcome to the sweet delicious escape from the world of "hot, steamy, sexy" romance.  I'm not saying Eleanor and Park isn't hot, steamy or sexy, mind you. It just has a lot more to it than just that.

The Ups: I swear this book is evilly real. It sucks you into it and it isn't just the uncool girl and the football quarterback just coincidentally running into each other at a romantic coffee shop. It's awkward and sweet and horrible and wonderful and everything in between. It has you at your feet begging for the connection to turn into something real, for one of them to make the first move, to think beautiful the things that are painfully awkward and real.
Well that kind of sums up everything I absolutely adore in this book. The other small things, like Eleanor's hair, Park and the fact that he's half Korean (we connect!) and DeeDee, who I love, just help to contribute to the believability of the whole book.

The Downs: So when I first finished the book, I was left with a sense of horror. Like, "How could Rainbow Rowell do that?" I'M NOT SPOILING, mind you. But sometimes you need a book to be a book. For everything to be okay, the happy ending. The bittersweetness of this ending and the entire book in general put me in pain for the moment I was reading it, but later I think that added to the realism and the general understanding of the book.

Rating: GOSH what is WITH THIS AUTHOR? Beat my scale AGAIN.