Book Review: A Really Awesome Mess by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin

Goodreads Description:

A hint of "Recovery Road," a sample of" Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," and a cut of "Juno." A Really Awesome Mess is a laugh-out-loud, gut-wrenching/heart-warming story of two teenagers struggling to find love and themselves.

Two teenagers. Two very bumpy roads taken that lead to Heartland Academy.

Justin was just having fun, but when his dad walked in on him with a girl in a very compromising position, Justin's summer took a quick turn for the worse. His parents' divorce put Justin on rocky mental ground, and after a handful of Tylenol lands him in the hospital, he has really hit rock bottom.

Emmy never felt like part of her family. She was adopted from China. Her parents and sister tower over her and look like they came out of a Ralph Lauren catalog-- and Emmy definitely doesn't. After a scandalous photo of Emmy leads to vicious rumors around school, she threatens the boy who started it all on Facebook.

Justin and Emmy arrive at Heartland Academy, a reform school that will force them to deal with their issues, damaged souls with little patience for authority. But along the way they will find a ragtag group of teens who are just as broken, stubborn, and full of sarcasm as themselves. In the end, they might even call each other friends.

Title: A Really Awesome Mess
Author: Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Coming of Age, Mature YA
Format: Paperback

Pages: 288
Publisher: Egmont USA
Source: Purchased from Boarders Malaysia

This book is so true to the title... one of the biggest EFF UP MESS UP book I've read and IT WAS AWESOME!

It follows a duo narration of Justin and Emmy, two newly admitted students at Heartland Academy, a reform boarding school and therapy unit to help teenagers sort out their eff up lives from addiction to depressions.

Justin has depression and was caught in a situation by his dad that got him diagnose with Sexual deviant. After a suicide attempt, it got the attention of his parents to send him to the facility.

Emmy's was adopted from China and always felt like she never fit in with her very tall blond family. She suffers low esteem and eating disorder as she diets to fit in. Things get worse when she gets caught in the middle of an internet prank which got her suspended from school.

Both characters are enrolled to the facility by their family in the hopes of helping them with their problems, wants nothing to do with Heartland and want's out as soon as possible.

Things start to change when they meet four other students in an anger management class and it might involve a piglet.

All the characters in the book are very mess up! Even so they made the book for me. This is one of the best and most diverse cast of characters I've encounter in a book! They were all well written and developed characters, each with a different personality yet compliment each other really well.

I liked how the book is told in alternative POV between Justin and Emmy as we see a different perspective of what they are both going trough in the facility. Its cool that we get the perspective of a guy and a girl. At the start both of them were very angry and rude on the idea of going to the facility but as the book progresses we see a lighter side of them where they are laugh out loud hilarious and sarcastic remarks come in place. Also they are both admitted for different reasons so its great seeing the different therapy classes they are taking and their reactions. Between Justin and Emmy I personally like Justin more as he has one of the best and sassiest humor I've read but also cause I like how they handle his problem. Emmy was okay but I was not found of her avoiding her problem and her purpose of being in Heartland whether she liked it or not.

Each side characters are more than meets the eye. They all suffer from some sort of problem whether its PTSD to an unlikely addiction, they all have layers upon layers and the more I read about them the more I like and care for the characters. I wanted them to get better and get the hell out of the facility.

My favorite side character is Jenny cause though she suffers a traumatic past and is the youngest in the group, she's the toughest and grungiest and is practically the 'leader' of the group. Also like Justin she has some of the best and sassiest lines in the book.

While the romance between Justin and Emmy sweet, it felt rush. I prefer the friendship they made in the facility as well as them mending their relationships with their families.

Though this book is laugh out loud hilarious while being grudge and full of teenage angst, it still has it serious note where they don't sugar coat the situations the characters are in. The situations feels real where there is consequences for their actions from Emmy stubbornly dealing with her eating disorder to saving a piglet. Also the ending is bittersweet (NO ONE DIES DON'T WORRY!!! LOL sorry but I just have to assure that) and also freaking awesome on how the book nicely wrap up with some really smart and mind blowing schemes that friends did.

I highly recommend this book if you are in the mood or like really snarky and sarcastic angry teen narration that is also a really quick read light hearten reads.

Book Review: Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider

Goodreads Description:

From the author of The Beginning of Everything: two teens with a deadly disease fall in love on the brink of a cure.

At seventeen, overachieving Lane finds himself at Latham House, a sanatorium for teens suffering from an incurable strain of tuberculosis. Part hospital and part boarding school, Latham is a place of endless rules and confusing rituals, where it's easier to fail breakfast than it is to flunk French.

There, Lane encounters a girl he knew years ago. Instead of the shy loner he remembers, Sadie has transformed. At Latham, she is sarcastic, fearless, and utterly compelling. Her friends, a group of eccentric troublemakers, fascinate Lane, who has never stepped out of bounds his whole life. And as he gradually becomes one of them, Sadie shows him their secrets: how to steal internet, how to sneak into town, and how to disable the med sensors they must wear at all times.

But there are consequences to having secrets, particularly at Latham House. And as Lane and Sadie begin to fall in love and their group begins to fall sicker, their insular world threatens to come crashing down. Told in alternating points of view, Extraordinary Means is a darkly funny story about doomed friendships, first love, and the rare miracle of second chances.  

Title: Extraordinary Means
Author: Robyn Schneider
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance, Coming of Age
Format: E-book, Arc
Pages: 336
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK/Australia
Source: ARC was received in exchanged for an honest review from NetGalley

In a nutshell, if John Green's The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska had a kid, and the kid is a huge Harry Potter, anime and Doctor Who fangirl who loves spontaneous adventure and Butter Beer Latte from Starbucks, Extraordinary Means is the beautiful offspring!

Robyn Schneider's previous book The Beginning of Everything (Review Here) is one of my all time favourite and most influential book, not to mention a book that 'Saved my life' so when I heard that she was coming out with Extraordinary Means I knew I have to have it in my life!

Extraordinary Means is a coming of age story told in alternate POV, follows Lane and Sadie who used to go to the same summer camp when they were younger, reunites years later at Latham House, a boarding school specialized in treating teens with tuberculosis (which both of our MCs have been diagnosed with).

First off I enjoyed the woodsy setting of the school and how its pictured to be like summer camp or a sky lodge. Obviously the students are there to take it easy like they are on a vacation in order to recover.

I love with Robyn Schneider's writing style on how one moment its intelligently written with its the medical talk and the metaphors the next its light hearted, sweet & touching and laugh out loud funny followed by emotions and feels.

From the synopsis and the theme of the book it sounds like a book full of feels and though it was a rollercoaster ride emotions, I laugh and awe with the book more than sit in a corner and let the feels flow as the author is good at balancing the seriousness of the situation with quirky and random events and dialogs.

The plot was fun and well paced out. There was never a dull moment and I devoured the story within a day! I love reading their adventures and shenanigans as it was trilling watching them break the rules around the school. One of my favorites involves Sadie and her friends causing mischievous in their French class which I laugh so hard for a good 10 minutes that I had tears in my eyes!

Though I had fun reading most of the book the 'final act' was where emotions started following. The ending was a well rounded conclusion though it RUIEND ME!!! Bittersweet and heart-breaking that I did cry buckets and was not pretty. Also the last few pages was beautiful, provoking and poetically written that reminded me of the last pages of Robyn Schneider's previous book The Beginning of Everything and any the ending of most of John Green books. Its that kind of ending where I want to read it over and over cause its stuck in my head days after I am done with the story and really makes me think.

I love reading the main characters! They were realistic and relatable characters that I definitely see myself friends with. I found myself attached and cared for them especially Sadie.

Lane, an overachiever and straight A's student with a perfectly mapped out future of going to Stanford University takes a detour in life when he gets diagnosed with tuberculosis and is sent to Latham House, putting high school, AP classes and SAT prep on hold. At the start, Lane was very uptight, play by the rules and ambitious, always working instead of resting and ignoring Doctor's orders which at one point made his condition worse. While I like reading about his optimistic and ambitious character at the start, once he go on overload, I wanted him to slow down and smell the roses as he's the kind of person who is rushing to get to the future instead of living and enjoying the present.

That is what eventually once befriend with Sadie and her friends. His character arc was my favourite. He developed, changing himself for the better. He eventually loosen up, got out of his comfort zone and experience what life have in store!

Lane took a couple of chapter for me to warm up to though then again he kind of reminded me of my high school self. Even so I enjoyed his character nerdy yet witty narration.

Sadie's personality is opposite of Lane. Having a terrible past of fitting in at both school and the summer camp, she fits in well at Latham House, transforming from being a shy outcast to a free spirit trouble maker. I adored Sadie from the start! She's sarcastic, sassy, fearless and spontaneous. She also have been at Latham House for the longest of all the characters, neither getting better nor worse. I love reading her crazy ideals and adventures even if it means sneaking around and breaking the rules. The only time I was not a fan of her character was that one time when she did something stupid (not gonna say too much as its a spoiler!) that annoyed me but eventually made up for it.

Their relationship was what made the book for me! I love their bantering and connection which made me smile and giggle with awe at their adorableness but also pulled my heart, making it fall into a million peace's. Lane was freaking sweet and a gentlemen with Sadie which made me swoon even more reading them together

The story is heavy on the romance and is well paced out! The romance started as a love hate relationship which is my favorite kind of romance. It was not one of those that took FOREVER for the ship to sail, so we got a good amount of romantic fluff between them. However when the ship hit a rock... *cries*.

It was also heavy on friendship and I love the diverse cast of side characters. Nick, Charlie and Marina were awesome friends to read about! They are the kind of 'cool nerds', with a lot in common but also have their own distinctive personality and interest. My favorite of the bunch is Nick who have some of the best and laugh out loud hilarious moments in the book.

I freaking love this book and though it does sounds like a TFIOS/LFA mash up (FYI I've read both book and love them and know enough about them for this compare), this is not a rip-off! Robyn Schneider has a distinctive style and narration that when I read her books I instantly know its her writing. From the geeky yet well planned Harry Potter and Doctor Who references to the easy to read and well written and researched medical narrations, the author has a unique and refreshing way of telling a story and I enjoy it!

Both of the author's books are 'medical narration' which is something slowly growing in the YA genre.

Like the The Beginning of Everything, Extraordinary Means is a sweet and touching yet a tragic love story. Its a book about finding hope and strength, second chances even if its a miracle, friendship and first love even when death is around the corner.

Its also a coming of age story about enjoying life to the fullest, taking spontaneous risks and taking things slower as we might missed what that road not taken have in store for us. 

I think, laugh and cried with this book, wanting more of this author's awesome stories!

When this post goes up I'll have already gotten my lovely hard back of the book in the mail and am gonna re read it and devoured it into pieces... okay I'll keep it in one piece :P !

Highly recommend this book especially to the John Green fans patiently waiting for his next book and needs something fill that void along with Rainbow Rowell fans, PotterHeads, Whovians and secret menu Starbucks lovers.

Book Review: Where the Road Takes Me by Jay McLean

Goodreads Description:

Chloe has one plan for the future, and one plan only: the road. She’s made a promise to herself: don’t let anyone in, and don’t let anyone love her. She’s learned the hard way what happens if she breaks her rules. So she’s focused on being invisible and waiting until she can set out on the road—her dream of freedom, at least for a little while.

Blake Hunter is a basketball star who has it all—everything about him looks perfect to those on the other side of his protective walls. He can’t let anyone see the shattered pieces behind the flawless facade or else all his hopes and dreams will disappear.

One dark night throws Chloe and Blake together, changing everything for Blake. For Chloe, nothing changes: she has the road, and she’s focused on it. But when the so-called perfect boy starts to notice the invisible girl, they discover that sometimes with love, no one knows where the road may lead

 

Title: Where the Road Takes Me
Author: Jay McLean
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Format: E-book
Pages: 323 pages
Publisher: Skyscape
Source: ARC was received in exchanged for an honest review from NetGalley

Where The Road Takes Me is a New Adult romance with Young Adult characters following Chloe and Blake who randomly meet when Blake was on his jog.

Chloe loss both her mum and aunt to breast cancer when she was very young and is afraid her families medical history will effect her. Cause of this she does not allow herself to be attach to anyone including her foster family and has no plans for the future except "The Road".

Blake is in a cross between choosing to follow his passion for Basketball and accepting a scholarship to Duke or following his father's path of getting enlisted into the army.

It took more than 30% for me to connect with the story but once the plot picks up I wiz trough this. Though the story was a but chopy it was honest and realistic about the whole What's next after High School life. Both Chloe and Blake are uncertainty about their future but they both opened up and choose their path with the help of each other and their family.

The romance was instalove and I was not a fan of it at first, however the more I read about Blake and Chloe's relationship the more I want to cheer for them as their relationship was sweet and heart-warming but also an emotional rollercoaster!

Chloe took a while for me to warm up to as she was selfish to push away everyone she loves just because she does not want her condition to affect them. She needed a bit of push to get her to be strong and brave for the future. Tough and sassy, though she came out as selfish, she's actually very caring and does not want to hurt the ones she loves like how she was hurt.

Blake was charming, funny and caring from the start. I also love how he was positive and works hard to make his and Chloe relationship work.

The book is heavy on the family elements which I love. I love reading the interaction with Chloe's foster family as well as Blake's mum. They are very supportive of the couple and were always there when they needed help.

Also Blake's best friend Josh was awesome to read about! I want a book (or novella) for Josh as I want to know more about his character!

The 'Red Letter Day' metaphor was well used and I actually learned some good stuff about it.

I only have a bit of mix feelings about one thing that is the whole 'realistic money issue'. Maybe its because I'm a money snob in reality but the way that issue was handled made me cringe. I meant I understand Blake's family is well off that his mum is sufficient to fund their whole road trip and I get it that his mum wanted to be pro active and 'upgrade' Chloe's car but the way it was handled was like money grows on trees!

This is a NA romance so expect profanities and steam.

Other than that I did like the story especially the family and road trip element. The ending was sweet, heart-warming and emotional that pulled my heart strings!

I heard so many great things about Jay McLean and I finally got a chance to read her book! I'm definitely checking out her More than this series which is her other series.

Check her out if you are a fan of Colleen Hoover and New Adult Romance!

Also Aussie readers check her out as she's an Aussie author!

 

Book Review : The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

Goodreads Description : 

It's 1996 and very few high school students have ever used the internet. Facebook will not be invented until several years in the future. Emma just got a computer and an America Online CD. She and her best friend Josh power it up and log on - and discover themselves on Facebook in 2011. Everybody wonders what they'll be like fifteen years in the future. Josh and Emma are about to find out

Title: The Future of Us
Author: Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Science Fiction, Romance,
Format: Paperback

Pages: 356 pages
Source: Purchased from Popular Bookshop (Malaysia)

I have been wanting to read Jay Asher's 'Thirteen Reasons Why' but was not up for a 'sad read' so when I saw this and read the blurb at the back I knew I had to owe it.

The Future of Us is a fun, smart and lighthearted contemporary reads with a sci-fi twist.

Set in 1996 the book follows the duo narration of Emma and Josh, next door neighbors and best friends where they install an AOL cd into Emma's new computer and discover their future on  Facebook... Fifteen years into the future, 8 year before Facebook even existed!

While Josh is happy with his future, Emma is not and tries to alter her future with the present which causes a ripple and not only alters her future drastically but Josh's too. It comes to a point where she gets obsess with her altering her future to perfection that it doing more harm than good and affecting her friendship with Josh.

Emma's character took a while for me to like as she was very unsure of herself as well as selfish but she is a good person just that she does not have her head straight as well as she takes a lot of things for granted like her friendship with Josh or her relationship with her dad. There were times i wanted to shake her and shout 'stop being obsess with Facebook' and just live in the present! While I thought she was a bit whiny in some parts, I think trough putting myself in her shoes and maybe... just maybe she is just a perfectionist so I can't blame her for some of her actions but she really didn't have to go trough some extreme extend when alter her future. Also of all of the characters, hers is the one that has the biggest change by the end of the book where she matured and got her priorities straight.

Josh on the other hand I thought I would not like but actually love! He is sweet, sensible, lay back and a great guy to have as a friend not to mention the voice of reasons for Emma.

Speaking of friends, Emma and Josh's friends Kellan and Tyson are great supporting characters and awesome friends to the both of them !

A couple of complain about the book apart from the occasional Emma's character are the Facebook status. While some were actually hilarious most of them are the eye rolling shallow type of status that needs a TMI stamp or it looks like something I will maybe see on Twitter (hey maybe they can have a spin off book where the characters discover twitter! lol). The sub-storyline of Josh and his parents I didn't really care for and felt like it's just filler. 

Also the ending while it ended on a sweet and cute note but I either felt like it was kinda week or that I was missing 20 pages in my edition (tfios reference ?!?!).

The book talks about not taking relationships/friendships for granted which is something that Emma eventually learns, living the moment and in the present and the philosophical impact of altering time wimey situation. I love how this was very different from stereotype YA especially when it came to romance as it surprisingly took a back seat in the romance department. Also the friendship between Emma and Josh, though its a bit rocky but was genuine and real and I like how their relationship played out.

If you are a 90's kid (like me!) or lived trough the 90's this is nostalgic since the book is set in 1996 where cell phone were rear and the internet required hooking up to the telephone line. Also there are alot of pop culture references from the present and the 90's (and if you know me well I live a good pop culture reference!) from Harry Potter and Netflix to even Ellen Degeneres!

Overall definitely check this out if you love high school scenarios with a timey wimey 'time traveling' twist. The cast of characters are realistic and relatable.The storyline is fast pace, original, nostalgic and fun!

I definitely need to check out Jay Asher's other book and read the Carolyn Mackler book that is sitting on my shelve soon.

What's your favourite things from the 90's?

Cartoons! The Cartoons and TV show back then were one of the best things to grow up with!