Stacking the Shelves #1

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My first ever Stacking the Shelves! Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

I will try to do this once a week so... here it goes.

I borrowed:

Where You Are (Between the Lines #2) by Tammara Webber
The Fallen and Leviathan (The Fallen #1) by Thomas E. Sniegoski
Bloodlines (#1) by Richelle Mead

 Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella
You Don't Know Me- Sophia Bennett
The Fall (The Glimpse #2)- Claire Merle

 I bought:

 

Pushing The Limits (#1)- Katie McGarry

On Kindle: 

Just Remember to Breathe- Charles Sheehan-Miles

Inevitable- Angela Graham

Perfectly Dateless- Kristin Billerbeck

There it is! I'll try to review most of them for anyone who comes across my website.

Now, Tata!!



Book Review: Holding Your Breath by Caroline Green

Thanks to Readgig for providing this book to me!

Tara has the power to find missing things and people, but it’s only been a source of trouble for her so far and she’s relieved when her family move house so she can make a fresh start and try to forget about the odd images in her head.

Making friends at her new school hasn’t been easy, especially with mean girls like Melodie Stone running the show. Then Melodie disappears. Tara’s not too sorry, but she starts to see strange images of a captive girl who she gradually realises must be Melodie. Tara tries but fails to ignore the pictures in her head and finally goes in search of Melodie, with the help of Melodie’s attractive half-brother. She finds herself trapped with her former enemy, and Tara and Melodie must work together to get free, with the help of Tara’s gift.


This is the first time I've ever read a book from Caroline Green and this made a good impression on me so, I'm looking forward to read other books from her. Hold Your Breath contained mystery, suspense, supernatural powers and also romance. I thought it was a great read but, the only problem was that it was a bit too short. However, I understand that if the author did make it longer, it would've gone downhill and boring.

I really liked Tara. You instantly connect with her and sympathize with her. She has gone through so much pain and when she moves to a new place, strangers who don't know her-judge her. She stays out of the 'mean girls' way to avoid getting picked on; she is still a person who doesn't have any friends apart from her family. Even though, she has this a gift or power that doesn't really happen in reality- she still experiences real life problems.

Melody is the usual popular, mean, rich princess. She has her own posse who follow her around and do whatever she tells them to... so basically, I felt like they were worshipping her which is kind of stupid because why would you degrade yourself like that? Anyways, she goes missing but everyone thinks she gone to Brighton and her posse cries and weep. Tara has this feeling that things do not appear as they seem but, she doesn't totally trust it due to previous experiences.

Leo who is Melody's brother is the hot guy who works as a lifeguard and connects with Tara. He brings relief to the story and I got all fluttery inside by reading about him and Tara. It was so cute!

There is a massive twist and that shocked me since, it was so twisted... and why would anyone want to it! Things got out of hand and people got hurt.

Overall, I thought that the book was very gripping and it projected the emotions well.

Ratings: 3/5

Book Review: Firewallers by Simon Packham

Thank you Readgig for my copy!

 

Can her life get any worse? Jess returns from a nightmare day at school to find her dad's suspended from work and gone into hiding. To escape the slobbering newshounds all eager for the full story, Mum drags Jess and her sister off to a remote Scottish Island. Modern technology's forbidden, and there's only a bunch of teenage uber geeks for company. Without Facebook or even her mobile, Jess feels totally disconnected from everybody back home. And why are they there anyway? What are they really running away from?

 

It was quite a good read. At first, I thought this book was going to contain a bit of supernatural because of the secrets and mystery but eventually, no supernatural beings appeared in the book.

This book was very great at setting the scene as I just felt weirded out throughout the whole time Jess was on the island like I was actually there.

 

I felt like the pace of the story was really fast and due to that, I didn’t get to know the characters as well. I basically didn’t particularly like anyone or absolutely hate anyone... maybe just felt sorry for them.

 

I would’ve liked if relationships in this book was further explored but overall, it was a fun book to read and the story is very unique.

 

Rating- 3/5

 

Review: Reason To Breathe by Rebecca Donovan

"No one tried to get involved with me, and I kept to myself. This was the place where everything was supposed to be safe and easy. How could Evan Mathews unravel my constant universe in just one day?"

In the affluent town of Weslyn, Connecticut, where most people worry about what to be seen in and who to be seen with, Emma Thomas would rather not be seen at all. She’s more concerned with feigning perfection while pulling down her sleeves to conceal the bruises - not wanting anyone to know how far from perfect her life truly is. Without expecting it, she finds love. It challenges her to recognize her own worth - but at the risk of revealing the terrible secret she’s desperate to hide.  From Goodreads

 This was me throughout the whole book and I cried. It took me a few hours to finish the book and I was sleep deprived. It was 2am and I bawling my eyes out...
It was that heartbreaking.

This is a story of this girl who gets abused my her aunt. Her dad died and her mum started drinking and wasn't fit enough to raise her own daughter. Her father's brother (so her uncle) took her in and for some reason his wife, Carol hates Emma... really hates her. She doesn't tell anyone as she doesn't want to tear Carol away from her children who Carol actually loves.

Emma doesn't talk to anyone apart from Sara- her best friend. Then, she notices the guy, Evan who's been new for a week and he takes an interest in her and she is so confused. He's persistent and she's keeps on pushing him away and there is this connection between them. It's adorable!!

This book was so heart-wrenching and so dark. I get so frustrated with Emma because she doesn't open up and never tells anyone and leaves people to fill in the blank spaces. 

The ending was cruel. It was cliffhanger. I cried for 30minutes in my bed wondering what happened. Re-read it tons of times. 

I hope whoever is reading this has read it already or is planning to read it. It is an amazing book and if you don't read it then... your lost.

Rating: Infinity out of Infinty
     

   

     
   

The next book in the series:

    

Review: Lovesessed by Pamela Diane King

A fun middle-grade novel. Phoebe, an ordinary 14-year-old American girl is hopelessly in love with Chase, a famous teen idol. When he fails to notice her at his concert, Liz, her best friend, and a budding chemist, plays Cupid by concocting a love potion. What could be sweeter than a love potion on Valentines Day? But when Phoebe gets more than she wished for, is it what she really wants? From Goodreads

This book at the beginning was great. I could relate to it and it made me laugh because it reminded me of some of my friends who are obsessed with boy bands.
Then , it got really annoying. Due to fact of her and Chase being 'soul mates' she seriously dismisses most of the people who care about her in her life. Like, she once forgot her other best friend, Ben's birthday.

Ben was such a great character. You knew from the start that he was devoted to her... not in a creepy way. Phoebe is kinda creepy. I mean she had a poster of Chase beside her so it would feel like he was beside when she was sleepy. Really? This takes obsession to a whole new level... 

Then her friend Liz, who's more academic and when she has a crush on someone she isn't.... obsessed, uses Chemistry to make a love potion and they put it into chocolates. Sent as fan mail to Chase and he eats them- everything goes crazy.
I thought this book was an alright quick read and.... yeah....

*You can get it free from Amazon. (it's an ebook by the way!)

Rating 2.5/5

Review: Just One Day- Gayle Forman

From the blurb---------

A whirlwind day in Paris...
A chance at true love...
Heart break is waiting just around the corner.

This story starts when Allyson is in Stratford-upon-Avon which is in England and is the birthplace of Shakespeare. She is a sheltered girl who doesn't get involved in drinking or breaking the rules. She is about to go to college or uni but, after graduation her parents send her off to tour Europe. She then meets Willem, a Dutch guy who helps her expand her horizons. She ditches staying in London for a few days to go to Paris with Willem and they explore.

Even though you can sense their chemistry between them from the start they lose each other. I can't say much as it'll spoil the book for you but, just after when they have a night of passion, Willem goes missing and Allyson is heartbroken and is a mess when she enters college. She plans to do medical school but she gets mostly low grades so, with the help with her counselor, she is in classes that connect to her.

A year after, she goes back to Paris to try to find Willem.

I found this story so beautiful and poignant. Just like the blurb says "story of love, loos and learning to live again." There is a major cliffhanger and I absolutely hate it. So many questions!!!

Anyways, Just One Year is coming out in October I think..... Well, it's coming out soon. So excited and I really recommend this book if you want a love story that has a hint of sadness. (Not a hint but not a lot as well) Here's the cover of the sequel. So beautiful... (wipes a tear)

Book Rating: 4.5/5

Review: The Longest Holiday

Laura has been married to the man of her dreams for seven months but then finds out that a week before the wedding, Matthew made a terrible mistake on his stag do.

Laura escapes with her 2 friends to Florida's Key West and over there is full of cocktails and fun and they are surrounded by very good looking men but, Laura is not feeling it and who can blame her?

Meanwhile, her husband tries to apologizes to her but that doesn't work out.

Laura meets Cuban scuba diver, Leo and he is a mysterious guy- Laura instantly feels chemistry between them.

When the end of the holiday approaches, Laura doesn't want to go home.

I thought that Matthew was an asshole (excuse me for the language.) I mean he was still in a relationship with Laura and he just liked the 'attention' and that led to him down the road to being a father but he did really love Laura and he committed one mistake and that ruined everything.

Since Laura is the main character, you obviously have to like her and if you have read Chasing Daisy then you would know that her first boyfriend was Will and that Will dumped her for another girl a few weeks or days before his death. Her love life is sad. I thought that Leo was kind of compatible with her and that he made happy again. The result of Matthew's mistake can never be forgotten and the presence of the mistake can hurt Laura too much.

I thought this book was exciting and you can't help but empathize with each character. Great romance story. Always a Paige Toon fan and loved how every book she writes, link with each together some how.

Book Rating: 4/5