Release date: March 28, 2017
Book: Strange the Dreamer
Author: Laini Taylor

The Basics:Strange the Dreamer is the story of:

the aftermath of a war between gods and men
a mysterious city stripped of its name
a mythic hero with blood on his hands
a young librarian with a singular dream
a girl every bit as perilous as she is imperiled
alchemy and blood candy, nightmares and godspawn, moths and monsters, friendship and treachery, love and carnage.
Welcome to Weep.

Add it on Goodreads
Pre-order on Amazon 

Why do I want to read it?

Laini Taylor is an amazing writer and I'm in love with her Daughter of Smoke and Bone series. I have no doubt that this book will be just as awesome and enchanting. I know that this book comes out pretty much within the year but as soon as I saw it I just had to make sure it was on my WOW as soon as possible.

What Are You Waiting On?

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine

Top Ten LGBT Late 2016 Releases

I want to start off by saying how horrified and saddened I am by hate in this world and the people who let it drive them. This past weekend, as many of you know, Pulse, a gay club, was attacked. 50 were killed and 53+ were injured. The LGBT+ community was attacked during a month that celebrates love as it is, in a safe space they found happiness in, with people they loved and cared for. We must all stand together and stay strong for those who can't, for those we lost, and those who need out support.

Today I wanted to honor the community and Pride month and list LGBT books that I can't wait to read. 

10. Fjord Blue by Nina Rossing. This follows a gay boy after he is shipped to Norway of all places. There he meets Evan, a kind boy with secrets of his own. 

9. The Best Man by Richard Peck. I honestly think this book is going to be so so cute. Archer's uncle is getting married to his favorite student teacher. Archer is in the 6th grade and the entire book is told from his perceptive. Archer learns about the LGBT community, love, and most importantly what type of person he wants to be.

8. Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst. This follows two princesses, one of which is engaged to the Prince, who are trying to find the assassin that turned their worlds upside down. Along the way their admiration turns to friendship which turns to love. 

7. The Other Boy by M.G. Hennessey. Shane woods is a 12 year old trans boy. He finds his niche in middle school but after someone threatens to expose his secrets. He finds strength and confronts the hate and continues life as the person he knows he is. 

6. Here Comes the Sun by  Nicole Y. Dennis-Benn. Margot is ruthlessly determined to shield Thandi, her sister, from the horrors she faced. When plans for a new hotel threaten their village, Margot sees not only an opportunity for her own financial independence but also perhaps a chance to admit a shocking secret: her forbidden love for another woman

5. Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit. by Jaye Robin Brown. Joanna has been out for a while but she is soon forced to move to conservative Rome. She tries to lie low but that changes when she meets Mary.

4. Jess, Chunk, and the Road to Infinity  by Kristen Elizabeth Clark. Jess and her best friend Chunk take a road trip to Jess's dads wedding. Jess is ready to start her new life as an artist and college student. The last time Jess saw her father she was biologically a boy. During the road trip Jess and Chunk discover new things about each other and their relationship. 

3. Time Keeper by Tara Sim. This follows Danny who is known for his ability to fix clocks and the very fabric of time. In this world, everything is controlled by clock towers. They assign him to Enfield and assign a new apprentice  to him. Their relationship grows, despite it being forbidden. As it turns out Danny's apprentice is the clock tower's spirit. 

2. You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour. and David Levithan. I LOVE Nina LaCour. She has written some of the most profound books I have ever read. When I saw this book I literally died. I want to read this so bad. This follows Kate who just ran away and wants to meet the girl she is in love with and a guy she meets named Mark,who is in love with his best friend.

1. When the Moon was Ours : A Novel by Anna-Marie McLemore. I don't really have words to describe this book other than magical. Riddled with fantasy and magic realism, the novel tells the story of Sam, a transgender boy, and Miel. They struggle to protect one another and along the way learn how they wish to define themselves and their lives.

"Love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love cannot be killed or swept aside."

-Lin-Manuel Miranda

Book Talk: The Miseducation of Cameron Post

Book: The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Author: Emily M. Danforth
Series: No
Number of Pages: 470
Source: My amazing sister

The Basics:When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they’ll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl.

But that relief doesn’t last, and Cam is soon forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and leaving well enough alone (as her grandmother might say), and Cam becomes an expert at both.

Then Coley Taylor moves to town. Beautiful, pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. She and Cam forge an unexpected and intense friendship — one that seems to leave room for something more to emerge. But just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, ultrareligious Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to ‘fix’ her niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self — even if she’s not exactly sure who that is.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a stunning and unforgettable literary debut about discovering who you are and finding the courage to live life according to your own rules.

My Musings:

The best part about reading are the characters and stories that stick with you, the ones you remember 10 years after you've read them, the ones you mention in random conversations. Not unlike a fond friend from high school that you mention everyone in a while because you loved them, because they were your person. Cameron is like that for me. I miss her. I miss her sarcasm, her doll house, her adventured with Jamie. I miss her.

The writing style is great; it never feels stuffy or awkward, it feels natural and real. Something that's been missing from a lot of books I've been reading lately. Danfroth creates really great character that are easy to fall in love with and relate to. The book is broken up into section one for every new part of her life. The book starts out when she is very young and we, as readers, watch her grow and mature, as she enters high school and eventually is sent of to a boarding school to "fix her". It was definitely was frustrating to see Cam go through all the homophobia and backlash to her sexuality. My heart went out to her and it was sad to see her go through that and be so helpless in those situations. I really hope that she is happy somewhere with a girl she loves.

For me, when I think of Cameron I think of two things:

1. Dollhouse
2. Movies

She is a much more complicated character than this but I loved her little quirks and hobbies and the way they were portrayed because it made her more of a person, a real person, somewhere in the middle of Montana, and that for me is one of the most beautiful parts of this book. The amount of detail in this book is impeccable and I loved that the author took her time to create a world and characters grounded in things everyone can relate to.Seeing her grow up made me more protective of her and even more involved in the story. Safe to say that characterization was on point.

The plot itself is just...it's great. I have laughed with Cameron, I have cried with Cameron. It has been a hard journey for her and I'm so glad that I read this book and went on this journey with her.

Overall this book was great. It's a book I really enjoyed but most importantly it's a story that I'll keep with me. It's beautiful and heartbreaking, its frustrating and satisfying. It's a book I think everyone should read. 

Book Talk: A Bitter Pill to Swallow

Release Date: January 1, 2016
Book: A Bitter Pill to Swallow
Author: Tiffany Gholar
Source: Author (this doesn't compromise my review)

The Basics: On the edge of the Chicago medical district, the Harrison School for Exceptional Youth looks like a castle in a snow globe. Janina has been there since she was ten years old, and now she's fourteen. She feels so safe inside its walls that she's afraid to leave.

Devante's parents bring him there after a tragedy leaves him depressed and suicidal. Even though he's in a different place, he can't escape the memories that come flooding back when he least expects them.

Dr. Gail Thomas comes to work there after quitting her medical residency. Frustrated and on the verge of giving up on her dreams, she sees becoming a counselor as her last chance to put her skills to the test.

When he founded the school, Dr. Lutkin designed its unique environment to be a place that would change the students' lives. He works hard as the keeper of other people's secrets, though he never shares any of his own.

But everything changes late in the winter of 1994 when these four characters' lives intersect in unexpected ways. None of them will ever be the same.

Sooo before I start the review I wanted to let y'all know that Perks will now and forever simply be a book blog blogging about booksih things. I decided to start a new blog called Of Roses and Rebels  to blog about lifestyle things. So go check it out and give me a follow if you want more lifestyle posts from me :) Ok now on to the review...

My Musings:

I remember when I got this book in the mail. I was so excited to open it when I saw the cover and actually held the book I died a little. It took me a while to start reading it and this review is really late seeing as it is June. I had no real expectations for this book which Is probably the best way to approach books just because it's easier to be objective and true to the actual quality of the novel.

It was in my AP Spanish class during a free period that I started this book. I have to say the plot and the basic idea of the novel is amazing. I love that this book deals with mental health and the issues within that world. As a person with an anxiety disorder, I definitely appreciated having characters I could relate to and root for. I also really appreciated the fact that most of the main characters were people of color. That's not something you see in most books which is part of the reason that this book is so special and so amazing. Essentially this follows three people and their relationships and lives. The plot itself is innovative and pretty good. There was no plot holes so it was consistent and innovative. The characters experience so much strife and deal with a lot. I developed a lot of respect for them. I really LOVE that Gholar wrote about these things because it's easy to romanticize mental issues but I really appreciated that she tried to give a more realistic, gritty feel to the novel.

That being said I wasn't a big fan of the writing style or the characterization of the characters. I felt like I couldn't really connect to the characters and I felt like so many moments in the novel were exaggerated or just to cheesy for me. The set up to some of the characters actions took the seriousness out of those moments and made them a little bit cheesy. For instance, the romance for me was just no. While I think the relationship between  Janina and Devante was cute and definitely got better as the book progressed I really didn't like the fact that it was instalovey. I would have preferred seeing them slowly get to know each other rather than just falling in love right away. I definitely would have appreciated their relationships even more.

I really, really wanted to like this book. And I did love it at times. However, I couldn't really get into it and get pass some of the awkward moments and cheesy bits. The book gets better the more you read, but the initial few chapter and beginning middle were a little harder for me.to get through.


My Rating:

Updates and Life Changes

It has been three months since I was last here, at my desk, writing frantically. So I figured I owed y'all an explanation as to why I have been gone for the last few months. It's not just because I was busy because I've been busy and still blogged before.

Here's the thing about senior year. It goes by so fast and you just have to enjoy the moment. In these last three months I was accepted to several colleges, visited most of those universities, committed to a university, went prom dress shopping, went to prom, cut my hair, studied for finals, took AP's, took finals, went to grad night, and graduated high school. So yeah it's been an intense few months. But I guess I neglected this blog because I wanted to fully dedicate myself to the end of my high school life, after all my graduation was four years in the making.

That being said, I will be blogging this summer and will continue to blog in college. So I will be blogging on a normal schedule and I'm even thinking about starting a new blog? Let me know what you think about that! I'm really excited for the new the new posts that should be up on here soon! I've really missed being here and talking about books.

Anyways that's it for this post, Thank you for being patient with me!

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Mourning the Death of a Fictional Character

There are a plethora of fictional character deaths that have killed me and have pushed me into en era of mourning. After watching an episode of The 100, I have found myself back in the abyss of mourning. Now if you watch The 100 and are currently caught up, you know I'm talking about. Now that person's death was messed up not just because it happened but because of the way it happened and the events leading up to it. #lgbtfansdeservebetter.

1. Denial: NOPE THIS IS NOT HAPPENING. THIS IS A DRILL. 

Usually one goes into shock after witnessing or reading the death of a fictional character. Usually I take a step back and try to process the event while crying while pretending it never happened. From here I will finish the T.V episode or stop reading and ignore the fact that someone died. Then I try to create theories where that person comes back to life. This never lasts long because eventually I go on tumblr...

2.Anger: WHYYYYY???? WHYYY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?????

 Now this doesn't always last very long but I get angry. Usually, while on tumblr I meet fellow fans who are just as lost and confused and daze as I am. This daze of shock soon wears off and we get angry because it's just not fair. It never is.

3.Bargaining: This is the point where you plead for that character to come back. You wish and wish and wish. You try to imagine some new storylines, a better one, one where your fav is not dead. 

Depression:*sniffles* *plays sad music* *holds a box of tissues to chest*

This typically lasts the longest for me. This is the part where you cry and cry and cry because there is nothing left to do. You mourn the loss of your fav and try to piece yourself backtogether in order to finish that book or that T.V show, or in some cases never return. Both are valid options. By this point I'm still on tumblr because tumblr gets me looking at quotes, gifsets, all of it and crying because that person will never exist in this world again

Acceptance: I'm glad this person existed, I will miss you.

Fanfiction is such a lovely thing. Now hear me out, fanfiction might seem like you're not moving on but in reality it's a way for you to allow those characters to live on in a parallel universe or something. By this point you know that they're are gone, but there's no harm in adding to the story. If you are not a fanfiction person then this is the point where you branch out and find another book, movie, show etc that makes you happy. 

Unfortunately there are some fictional deaths we just won't ever get over. But we all go through it and we all make it onto the other side. So what are some fictional deaths you can't get over? how do you cope/not cope?

Book Talk: This Raging Light

Release Date:
Book: This Raging Light
Author: Estelle Laure
Series: No
Number of Pages: 288
Source: Netgalley (I received this book in exchange for an honest review)

The Basics:Can the best thing happen at the worst time?

Her dad went crazy. Her mom left town. She has bills to pay and a little sister to look after. Now is not the time for level-headed seventeen-year-old Lucille to fall in love. But love—messy, inconvenient love—is what she's about to experience when she falls for Digby Jones, her best friend's brother. With blazing longing that builds to a fever pitch, Estelle Laure's soulful debut will keep readers hooked and hoping until the very last page.

Add it on goodreads 


My Musings:

When I was perusing on netgalley I came across this book and I thought it looked really interesting. Plus I love contemporary novels. To be honest I haven't read a good fantasy novel in a really long time, but that's beside the point. I requested this book not really realizing the buzz surrounding it. I'm so very happy I was able to read this book! It's honestly so good!

Books about heavy topics have to be done well or else they come across cheesy, dramatic, and overdone. The premise of the book is very heavy and dark at times. But the way the author went about it made it realistic and easy to empathize with. I loved the story line. I think it's a story that's important to tell and the way Laure did it was perfect. I kept waiting for some sort of happy ending but there's really not. If anything Lucille's life just kept getting worse. She took blow after blow and I think that instead of overdoing writing, the author allowed the story to unfold simply and without forcing it. That, for me, made it such an amazing read!

The whole theme of the book is too keep fighting even when everything seems to falling apart anyways. The characters each had their own struggles, their own obstacles to overcome and the way they came together to help one another was so inspiring. The characters are beautifully developed and showcased. Lucille's best friend is my favorite even though you really don't get to see her too often. I think that she represents the person we all want to have in our lives; kind hearted, funny, and supportive. Digby is great, for the most part. None of the characters are without flaws and I think that those imperfections only add to the story!

 One of my favorite parts of the book is the way relationships are developed. The parents here lean to much on Lucille and that takes it's toll on her, and leads to this big falling apart moment. But the relationship is not without love, it's just twisted and unbalanced. Lucille's relationship with her sister is my favorite relationship in the book. It's this give and take that is so heartwarming. For the actual romance part of the book, it's a little weird at first but I learned to love it and ultimately ship it!

Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this book! It's a beautifully tragic story about strength, love, and life. Whether you like contemporary or not, this book is a must read!

My rating:

Coffee for this book: Okay no coffee today because this book requires something a little more comforting. A  nice cup of lavender tea is perfect for this! Am I the only one who thinks tea just makes everything better?

Book Talk: Pixelated by L.S. Murphy

Release Date: June 30 2015
Book: Pixelated
Author: L.S Murphy
Series: no
Number of Pages: 226
Source: I received an epub from the author (This has no bearing on my review)

 The Basics:
Senior Year.

Middle of nowhere.

What's the new girl to do?


For Piper Marks, the answer is simple. She’s determined to have her photography rock the cover of National Geographic someday, and moving to Clarkton, Iowa for her last year of high school is not going to stop her. Even if her usual subjects have changed from bright lights and skyscrapers to fields, cows…and more fields.


But when photographer at the local paper quits in a huff, she steps into his spot. Her new job keeps Piper busy capturing tackles, and zooming in on first downs and end zone dances, not to mention putting her directly in the path of varsity football star Les Williams IV. Her new friends warn her off, but she can’t resist the pull she feels toward this mysterious country boy. But this small town is keeping a secret, and it’s one that could destroy any chance they have to be together.


It’s up to Piper to decide what to do with the distorted truth. Can she risk exposing her heart? It might be worth it, 'cause Les is about to change her world from black and white to fully saturated color.

My Musings:

So I first received this book over summer break and finally was able to read it over winter break and am now finally reviewing it. The reason I said I would review this book was because I was starting my senior year I could relate with the book a lot better. There are a lot of great qualities about the book that I really enjoyed but I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped nor was it as good as I wanted it to be,

First things first: the problems I had with the book. For me it moved slowly at first and didn't really pick up until close to the end of the novel. In fact once it was over I couldn't really believe it was over. The pacing was sporadic and not in a good way. That being said there were parts where I just had to keep reading and find out what happened, but for a large part of the novel I just felt a little bored.  My only real issue with the romance is that it's kinda a  insta-lovey situation. It wasn't a classic case of insta love, but it did start off that way. There were parts of the romance I enjoyed but it was also really cheesy, sometimes the good kind sometimes the bad kind. This novel is really cheesy and it made it really hard to relate to Piper because a lot of things felt fake. It was hard for me to see genuineness in her friends (past and present) and in her school troubles. In fact the only really developed character is Piper. The writing style was good for the most part, the only issue I had and I think is the cause of the cheesiness, is that it feels like it's trying too hard. Like it can't quite capture the teenager of it all so it goes overboard a little.

Now for the things I did like about the novel. It was surprisingly funny. Piper is kind of hilarious and her internal monologues and rants are pretty similar to mine, now that I come to think of it. The humor is spot on and one of my favorite parts of the novel. I also really liked how the author portrayed Piper's family life. Her parents were somewhat realistic, but I think the little plot twist at the end made the characters more likable and respectable. Looking back on it, the parents and family situation were portrayed really well and I think that it was woven into the story line rather well. That being said, while i'm not a big fan of the romance, there were many moments I thought were cute. While the initial start of it was too insta love for me, the relationship did develop in a cute and good way. Lastly, the plot was good, It was developed pretty well despite the slow start. The plot, while centers around the romance, does a good job of incorporating other things.

Overall, the book was decent. It's not my favorite but I did have fun reading it. There were a few issues but if cheesy novels are your thing then this is a good option for you.

My Rating:

Coffee for this book: A dirty chai latte, trust me it's got enough caffeine and enough sweetness to compliment the book.

Motivational Monday

First Motivational Monday of the year! To be quite frank it's the first one in a long time. Recently I've started my second semester of my senior year. This means two things.
1) Senoritis is starting to hit me.
2) I'm really nostalgic.
The first thing kinda gives me more time to think therefore increasing the rate of the second thing. If that makes sense. I've played most of my high school life safe. I've focused on trying to get into different colleges, dreaming of my future college days. However, I've had my fair share of failures. I've failed at tiny things that only I remember and I've failed spectacularly that still haunt me to this day. But those moments I think have created stories and shaped me.

So this week go do you. Be happy, take failure in stride, have pride in your successes. Go make stories that you can tell your grand kids too. Failure is not a bad thing, it's a learning experience, a funny story, or both.

Top Ten Fictional Ships at the Moment

As a professional fangirl I have amounted my fair share of ships. For those of you who don't know what a ship is, it's a relationship you really like and support. I have many ships and to be honest I'm sure that there are many I forgot and that at some point this list will change.  But as of right now these are my top ten fictional ships.

Disclaimer: while I love all these ships with all of my fangirl heart, I want to say that there's more to all of their stories than just romantic relationships.

Honorable Mentions: Elena and Damon from The Vampire Diaries, Jemma and Fitz from Agents of Shield, and Blair and Chuck from Gossip Girl.

10. Hannah and Caleb from Pretty Little Liars.

9. Rose and Dimitri from Vampire Academy. I have to admit I had a giant book crush on Dimitri. I really loved this series and this relationship still remains one of my top ships.

8. Tessa and Will and Jem from The Infernal Devices. Yes I know that there are three people in this ship. I ship Jessa and Wessa all the same. It's so hard to choose one or the other.

7. Meredith and Derek from Grey's Anatomy. I'm a giant fan of this show and although I've hated them both at different points of the emotional roller coaster that is Grey's Anatomy, they both fit so well together.

6. Cath and Levi from Fangirl. They are too cute and I can't even.

5. Lincoln and Octavia from The 100. This is one of my favorite shows of all time and Linctavia is one of my favorite ships ever.

4. Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. Bucky and Steve is the only couple on this list that isn't cannon and maybe won't ever be. But the truth of the matter is they are a great team. They both mean the world to the other and would do anything to help each other out. That being said I LOVE Peggy and I ship Peggy and Steve hardcore as well.

3. Mara Dyer and Noah Shaw. Noah Shaw gave me really high expectations in the guy department and remains my biggest book crush ever. That being said, Mara is one of my favorite characters ever! I love these two so much.

2. Finn and Rey from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. OMG! I love these two so much! TFA is a really good movie and I really enjoyed it. I love Finn so much, he is on of my favorite characters ever. Rey, on the other hand, I love just as much. They work so well together! I can't wait for the next installment!

1. Clarke and Lexa from The 100. I love their dynamic and the way they relate to each other. The politics of it all complicate their relationship but I feel like at the end of they day they understand each other in a way that no one else really does. I am I die hard Clexa fan and I'm so beyond excited for whats in store for this season!

Waiting on Lady Midnight

Release Date: March 8 2016
Book: Lady Midnight
Series: Yes
Author: Cassandra Clare

The Basics:
Los Angeles. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn’t the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they’ll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it’s open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

Add to Goodreads 

Why do I want to read it?

It's Cassandra Clare. It's Shadowhunters. That means I have to read it. I really like Cassandra Clare's writing style and the way she creates lovable characters to root for and swoon for.I'm really excited for a new taste of the shadowhunter world. I have a feeling this is going just as epic as her previous books.


Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine

What Are You Waiting On?

Book Talk: The Trouble with Destiny

Release Date: December 8,2015
Book:The Trouble with Destiny
Author: Lauren Morrill
Source: Netgalley ( I received this in exchange for an honest review)

The Basics:
It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey...


With her trusty baton and six insanely organized clipboards, drum major Liza Sanders is about to take Destiny by storm—the boat, that is. When Liza discovered that her beloved band was losing funding, she found Destiny, a luxury cruise ship complete with pools, midnight chocolate buffets, and a $25,000 spring break talent show prize.


Liza can’t imagine senior year without the band, and nothing will distract her from achieving victory. She’s therefore not interested when her old camp crush, Lenny, shows up on board, looking shockingly hipster-hot. And she’s especially not interested in Russ, the probably-as-dumb-as-he-is-cute prankster jock whose ex, Demi, happens be Liza’s ex–best friend and leader of the Athenas, a show choir that’s the band’s greatest competition.


But it’s not going to be smooth sailing. After the Destiny breaks down, all of Liza’s best-laid plans start to go awry. Liza likes to think of herself as an expert at almost everything, but when it comes to love, she’s about to find herself lost at sea.

My Musings:

To be quite honest with you I didn't think I was going to like this book. I thought it was going to be a cheesy romance filled with cliches. I don't know why I picked this book to be honest but I did pick it up and I'm happy I did.

Now I wasn't totally wrong about this book being cheesy. It is. Very much so. But please don't let that deter you from reading the book. There's a lot more to it than romance and unrealistic scenarios. The writing style, while not special, creates the  interesting and laugh out loud voice of Liza. I think it was her voice that made it easy to relate to her. She's neurotic, nerdy, and sarcastic. I think the voice of the story is a large part of why I really liked the book.

Furthermore, characterization is pretty good. We get to see Liza go through a lot and she proves to be really strong but oblivious. I love Liza, I feel like if she went to my high school we would be friends. She's very real and you get to see multiple levels. But I feel like she's the only person we get to see on multiple dimensions. Most of her friends serve to help the plot or the smaller issues within the story line. I honestly think that this was the biggest problem with the book and the reason why it felt cheesy. You only got to see one side of most of the characters, which I guess makes sense considering that the plot only really revolves around a few people. However, eventually you get to see different side to Demi, which was predictable but nice to see all the same. I think that because this book is as much character driven as it is plot driven, characterization was focused on Liza.

That being said, I really did enjoy the book. The plot was funny, cute, and most importantly relatable. I actually really liked the plot. I thought it was such an amazing journey. Liza had her eyes set on the prize and honestly I really admired for dedication to the band. I was rooting for Liza the entire time, really hoping that the band would win. Romance, however, was just as important as the money needed to save the band. The romance was cute and all but I wasn't the biggest fan of it. It was predictable and to be honest you say one side of it for the entire novel. Then all of a sudden the other realizes they have feelings for the other. Like I said there were a lot of cute moments and I do ship them, I'm just not the biggest fan of it. As for the band plot, I really liked it. I liked the rivalry, the drama within the band, the way Liza fought for her band. This aspect of the story was on point and I did like how the romance was intertwined with the main part of the plot.

Overall, it was a good book. It was cheesy but the good kind. The romance was cute at times but not my favorite. I did like Liza and I loved how realtable she was. It was a good story if you want a nice fluffy read.

Coffee for this book: Machiato

Top Ten Books I Never Got To Read in 2015

So I have been gone for a LONG time. I've been hit with college application, waves of school work, and the holidays. It's been an interesting and very busy few months and to be quite honest with you, I'm surprised I'm alive. That being said because of all the crazy of 2015, I actually didn't get to read a lot, which is very very sad. Thankfully, the few books I did read where fantastic! Now without further ado, here are the books I wanted to read but never did

1. Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

2. The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand.

3. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

4. Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

5. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

6. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Mass

7. I was Here by Gayle Foreman 

8. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

9. City of Savages by Lee Kelly

10. Rook by Shannon Cameron

Book Talk: These Shallow Graves

Release Date: October 27, 2015
Book: These Shallow Graves
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Number of Pages: 496

The Basics:Jo Montfort is beautiful and rich, and soon—like all the girls in her class—she’ll graduate from finishing school and be married off to a wealthy bachelor. Which is the last thing she wants. Jo secretly dreams of becoming a writer—a newspaper reporter like the trailblazing Nellie Bly.

Wild aspirations aside, Jo’s life seems perfect until tragedy strikes: her father is found dead. Charles Montfort accidentally shot himself while cleaning his revolver. One of New York City’s wealthiest men, he owned a newspaper and was partner in a massive shipping firm, and Jo knows he was far too smart to clean a loaded gun.

The more Jo uncovers about her father’s death, the more her suspicions grow. There are too many secrets. And they all seem to be buried in plain sight. Then she meets Eddie—a young, brash, infuriatingly handsome reporter at her father’s newspaper—and it becomes all too clear how much she stands to lose if she keeps searching for the truth. Only now it might be too late to stop.

The past never stays buried forever. Life is dirtier than Jo Montfort could ever have imagined, and the truth is the dirtiest part of all.

My Thoughts and Musings:

When I first saw this book on netgalley I fangirled because of the author. I LOVE Jennifer Donnelly, Her writing style is beautiful and lyrical. I love how she weaves stories and how she makes characters come to life. I was really excited to see and even more excited to have the chance to read it. Due college apps among other things I had to put off reading it until recently and now have finally read and fallen in love with it.

The plot is impeccable. I absolutely loved all of it. Donnely has an amazing way of creating a world and story that feels really real. The plot is original and different. It has social commentary for the time as well allusions to well known people and events of the time period. I love the depiction of society and the way Jo's world and the "real" world contrasts. The storyline is so fluid that it is able to take so many turns. Jo's journey to find the truth about her father becomes this giant thing that encompasses her world. Within this journey to find the truth about her father's death she also finds the truth about love and even herself. She discovers that her world is as broken as the one outside of it, just with a better, more beautiful facade. Jo has been sheltered and protected and has never seen the world for all that it is. She's seen the good, golden, happy bits and through this journey she is able to realize she was right in wanting more than what was being given or rather forced upon her. I love everything about the story line. It is well developed and intriguing, trust me you'll want to stay up reading it! The plot twists are mind blowing!

I can definitely relate to Jo. And I think that's why I love this book so much. Most of the characters are like that. Characterization is on point. You get to see different sides to different characters. Jo is strong but has her moments when she's not as strong. Jo is sweet, but also a badass. Eddie is snarky know it all, but a kind soul. Theres so many aspects to the characters that it's very easy to fall into the story. Like I already said I loved the social commentary and the secondary characters really helped drive that point in. Fay and Tumblr are kids that were taken in by a man and as a result they are forced to steal and the like in order to make him money. These characters where some of the most heartbreaking to read about but also the most inspiring. Fay is one of those characters that while doesn't have a lot of space in the book, makes a really big impact.

As for the romance...not gonna lie I loved it but it's also very frustrating.  Eddie is kind of a jerk at first but once he lets his guard down, he's hard not to love. The love story is secondary to everything else going on in the book, which I loved. It allowed other things to shine and never overpowered the book. It was well developed and sweet. It was a little bit cliche with the whole "not part of the same social class thing" but I think it fit in with the social commentary of the time. I think that this part of the book was really powerful in showing how girls of the time period were treated and how they were stripped of their own free will at times (no matter the social class). Eddie never treats Jo differently, which is a big reason why I love him and why I ship them!

Overall this book is awesome and you should read it!

Cover Reveal: Once Upon a University

Book: Once Upon A Time University

Author: Savannah Ostler

Fantasy, fiction, YA, teen, clean teen fairytales, adventure, romance

The Basics:The enchanting sequel to “Happily Ever After High School”

After graduating Happily Ever High, eighteen year old Albany French was living the perfect fairy tale. She had her very own fairy godmother, a delightfully eccentric grandmother, and her boyfriend was her dream knight in shining armor.

At first, it seemed like a flawless freshman year for her at Once Upon A Time University. The campus was magical and enchanted, her classes were extraordinary, and she made surprising new friends.

A chain of unsettling events followed by a twist of fate sends Albany spinning. She is forced to make the most difficult decision of her life- one that could potentially break her heart. The perfect happily ever after was still within Albany’s grasp… or so she thought.

My name is Savannah Ostler, but you can call me Savvy. I LOVE fairy tales. No, let me rephrase that. I live and breathe fairy tales.

I’m a dreamer born and raised in a small town, and moved to the big city of Los Angeles to follow my creative ambitions. I’ve loved every minute of my journey, even if it wasn’t always easy. Having always had a passion for writing, acting, and singing, living in Los Angeles was the step that I had to take in order to pay full tribute to my dreams.

Living in the city of opportunity has opened a lot of doors for me in the span of four years- including acting in commercials, singing at world-famous concert venues around Hollywood, acting in feature films, stage productions, producing a series of short films, and having the opportunity to work on famous studio lots, including Warner Bros. studios, Culver City studios, Paramount studios, and my own personal favorite, Walt Disney studios. Being a performer allows me the flexibility of creating my own schedule, giving me plenty of time to dedicate to my writing- which in the span of just living in LA, I have added writing two full length novels, five original feature screenplays, ten short screenplays, Over two dozen poems, fifteen original songs, and a notebook full of ideas.

My career in LA has definitely been a blast, and I have loved every second of it. That being said, I would have to say that my most treasured and note-worthy adventure here in southern California was meeting my husband Steve. I had always been the kind of hopeless romantic who had believed in the magic of true love and destiny- and finding my soul mate from southern California only affirmed that belief. Steve was born and raised in southern California and had lived in the golden state all his life. To think that I probably wouldn’t have met him had I not followed my dreams to Los Angeles attests my belief in destiny, true love, and real life fairy tales. We had our perfect fairy tale, Cinderella-inspired wedding in an enchanted setting, a perfect Cinderella-worthy dress and tiara, my perfect prince, and we rode away in a horse-driven Cinderella coach. Since we are both Disney nerds, we happily were off to Disneyworld for a royal honeymoon.

Needless to say, I had more than enough inspiration for my fairy tale fantasy series, “Happily Ever After High School”, and now “Once Upon A Time University”. I wanted to create a world were fairy tales were not just make believe- a world where they were thrown into the mix with real modern life. I wanted to spark the love of fairy tales and imagination in my readers while also making them believe that true love might actually be not exclusive to fairy tales. The entire series stemmed from this idea.  

Next, came my main character, Albany. I wanted to come up with a unique name that you don’t hear everyday, and I wanted it to somehow be a little personal to me. Since I am named after a city, I looked up different city names across the US, and Albany stuck out to me.

Albany is definitely not your typical eighteen year old. She is independent, determined, unique, creative, and definitely a day dreamer. She absolutely has always hated traditional public schools, because she feels like she doesn’t belong there. Albany doesn’t really have many friends, but the friends that she does make she keeps for life.

Despite being labeled as an “outcast”, Albany finds contentment in her books- especially fairy tales.

I love the character of Albany, because I can definitely relate to her. In fact, I’ll let you in on a little secret… She is pretty much me at eighteen years old. She is a dreamer, she is optimistic, she is bright, she hates math, and she is not afraid to create her own path and get what she wants in life.

This isn’t to say that Albany doesn’t have her fair share of character flaws. Believe me, she has just as many flaws as the typical teenage girl. She is a mess, she can never keep her room clean- or anything for that matter. She is extremely stubborn and has a very witty and sarcastic sense of humor that can sometimes come off as cold if not understood. For those who don’t know Albany, her stubbornness can has the potential to get irritating. In reality, she just likes to stick to her gut and is not afraid to diverge from the herd. In fact, that’s what she does best. She’s a girl who knows what she wants, and she won’t give up until she gets it.

Writing Once Upon A Time University was a blast from the very beginning. I really let myself get inside Albany’s head and put myself in her shoes. Being so similar to the character, it was second nature for me. While writing and editing, I would often times recite Albany’s dialogue aloud to see how it sounds. The majority of the time, I probably looked like a crazy person talking to myself. But hey, it was totally fun and helped my process. I also listened to a ton of music while writing the novel. I created a playlist of the key songs I listened to over and over again while writing. These are songs that Albany would totally rock out too as well. We definitely share the same taste in music. Yes, the list is kind of all over the place as far as music genres are concerned, but that’s just how we like it ;)

I so hope you enjoy reading the second installment of the enchanted series as much as I enjoyed writing it!

May all of your fairy tale wishes come true, 

Savvy

Tidbit About The Author!

Savannah Ostler was born in Alpine, Utah. Since childhood, she has enjoyed many forms of the arts. It was from her love of performing that she decided to attend East Hollywood High, a school in Salt Lake City dedicated to film, television, and writing.

In addition to acting for both stage and film, Savannah is also a singer, having released several original pop singles, and performing at well known venues in Hollywood such as The House Of Blues, and the Roxy theater.

Although Savannah is incredibly diverse with her talents, her first love is, and has always been writing. She has been writing ever since she learned how to read and write. She enjoys many different forms of writing: poetry, lyrics, fiction, and screenplays. To date, Miss Ostler has written hundreds of original poems, six original songs produced and performed by Savannah herself, hundreds of lyrics not yet produced, over a dozen produced short films, five feature film screenplays, two television pilots, and of course, her first novel Happily Ever After High School.

Savannah has always been a day dreamer and a true kid at heart. When she is not buried in her writing projects, she can be found at Disneyland, living out all of her fairy tale dreams.

She lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband Steve and their two mixed Chihuahua pups.

Where You can Find her!

Blog

Website

Twitter: @SavannahOstler

Facebook

Youtube

Back To School: Movies and Books

So it's that time of year. Some of us still have summer left. Some of us are going back to school this month. I'm part of the latter group unfortunately. I still have vocab to do and books to read and it's crazy to think that this is my last week of summer. But I thought that this week would be a great time to do a back to school list. I will be posting every day this week. I'll do some survival tips, a playlist, OOTD inspiration, and other stuff. I think this is going to be really fun!! So to kick off the series here are some books and movies that deal with school stuff.

Books: I actually have to read some books for school so I don't have too much time left to read but I will definitely try to squeeze some of these in

1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. High school sucks and I think this book captures the hardships you face in school. It's hard to make friends, it's hard to be a teen preparing for tomorrow, it's hard to be in love. It's an amazing story that just needs to be read. 
2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. Because it's a story about an awkward, nerdy girl, trying to survive college. You will most likely identify with her at some point of the book. 
3. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger. I don't really have a reason for this, it's just an awesome book!
4. Harry Potter by J.K Rowling. Let's just pretend for a moment we're all going to Hogwarts and that we all have magical powers.
5. A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall. Because who doesn't need a cute love story?

Movies:I'm probably going to watch these and rewatch some marvel films. 

1. Mean Girls. Because come on, it's Mean Girls. 
2. LOL. Yes I actually really like the Miley Cyrus movie. I'm not sure why, but I love this movie and I watched it last year before I started school. 
3. Clueless. It's hilarious! I love everything about this movie!! I actually watched this because a friend told me too, and I loved it!
4. Grease. It's a classic! Who doesn't want to sing along to  "Your The One That I Want"
5. Harry Potter Movies. Its your last chance to have a Harry Potter Marathon! I suggest you start now!!

Back To School Series:

Day One:Back to School: Books and Movies

Day Two: Mixtape Monday + Organization

Day Three: Student Survival Guide

Day Four: Goals For the 2015 School Year

Day Five: Cute Hair Styles

Day Six: Open Letter To Students

Top Ten Characters That are Fellow Bookworms

I love this weeks prompt. It's always nice to read about people who love books as much as I do. It's nice to find kindred spirits in the books I read. To be honest I would probably be best friends with all of these people.

1. Cath from Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I mean she writes fanfiction.She's a top tier book worm and I love her for it. She's so into the world of Simon Snow that she's invested her own time and energy to make it her own. I think it's awesome. I also can't wait to read Carry On, which is going to be an actual book. How awesome is that?
2. Sam from Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone. I love this book and I love the poetry aspect of it. I love how it's through words that people heal and grow in this novel
3. Meggie from Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Inkheart trilogy. Meggie has grown up with a love of books her whole life. Her father and her go and buy used books, save old books, and not to mention bring book characters to this world. It's all really awesome.
4. Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter Series. Hermione Granger is just an overall badass and I love her bookish side. She reads for fun and thoroughly enjoys learning and understanding things. She gets things done and honestly where would Harry and Ron be without her?
5. Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Charlie has got this cute, shy, bookworm personality that makes me want to just hug him. He does book reports for fun and reads amazing novels. I used to love writing book reports too. It would essentially be me fangirling over the book I just read.
6. Liesel from The Book Thief by  Markus Zusack. I LOVE this book. It's so sad and beautiful and just wow. Liesel has this affinity for books and storytelling that's just amazing. 
7. Tessa Grey from the Infernal Devices. "Words have the power to change us"
   
8. Celaena from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. She is badass with a soft spot for books. She understands the power of the written words and I love her even more for that. While I did find this book to be a little bit overhyped and a little disappointing I did enjoy it overall.
9. Hazel Grace Lancaster from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Granted she was really only obsessed with  one book, but whose to say that she never had a connection with another book. She went out to Amsterdam to meet the author with Gus, she was a total book fangirl. Granted the author was a jerk.
10.  Clay Jannon from Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Book Store by Robin Sloan. The guy works at a magical book store. What can I say?

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and Bookish

Book Talk: A Little Something Different

Release Date: August 26, 2014
Book: A Little Something Different
Author: Sandy Hall
Number of Pages: 272
Source: Bookshop

The Basics:The creative writing teacher, the delivery guy, the local Starbucks baristas, his best friend, her roommate, and the squirrel in the park all have one thing in common—they believe that Gabe and Lea should get together. Lea and Gabe are in the same creative writing class. They get the same pop culture references, order the same Chinese food, and hang out in the same places. Unfortunately, Lea is reserved, Gabe has issues, and despite their initial mutual crush, it looks like they are never going to work things out. But somehow even when nothing is going on, something is happening between them, and everyone can see it. Their creative writing teacher pushes them together. The baristas at Starbucks watch their relationship like a TV show. Their bus driver tells his wife about them. The waitress at the diner automatically seats them together. Even the squirrel who lives on the college green believes in their relationship. Surely Gabe and Lea will figure out that they are meant to be together....

My Musings:

So I've heard nothing but good things about this book. I've heard that it was insanely cute. I was recently made fun of for saying that this book was so cute I could die of cuteness. I mean the amount of fluff and sheer cuteness is too much sometimes lol.

The whole idea of reading about a love story from outside viewpoints is so original and cool, that I was instantly invested in this. In some ways it's like reading a fanfic about your OTP and wanting desperately for them to end up together. The plot was great and even though it was slow moving (because the romance was slow moving) I was never bored. Frustrated, maybe,but I never wanted to put the book down! The writing was amazing as well. Due to the fact that the plot was entirely character driven, and the romance was a painfully slow development, the writing had to be good, and it was. It was funny, cute, deep, and different. I loved the mentions of ships and feels and fangirl vocab. Like I got some serious weird looks because I was laughing out loud in public areas, but trust me when you read this, you'll understand.

You don't really get to understand or delve into the minds of the different characters in the novel, but you do grow to like them, or in some cases tolerate them. Most of the characters save for maybe Hilary, are really relatable people that I would probably hang out with. I just really don't like Hilary, for more reasons than I care to rant about, but she just is so annoying and VAPID. I love all the different viewpoints. I think my favorite were Inga, their creative writing teacher, and Charlotte, the starbucks barista, oh and Victor, their classmate. It's nice to see people who are just part of day to day life learn to ship and root for two complete strangers, even if you don't like them.

Okay the root of this entire book is romance.As cute as this book is it's not that cheesy. There are so many unconventional things about Lea and Gabe that make their shy romance anything but icky cheese. I think being able to see them from outside P.O.V's is such an advantage because you get to see the characters in ways they would never see themselves. You get to see them and their feelings grow through unbiased and biased eyes. Plus these two are so cute that's it's just awesome to meet fellow shippers even if they are fictional people

Overall this is a great book and it's just so worth reading. It's a nice cute read that will definitely make you smile and laugh and fangirl.

My Rating:

Coffee for this Book: A Dirty Chai Latte, you will want coffee to finish this book and have energy to fangirl!

Waiting on Wednesday #7

Release Date: October 27, 2015
Book: These Shallow Graves
Author: *Fangirls* Jennifer Donnelly
Number of pages:496

The Basics:Set in gilded age New York, These Shallow Graves follows the story of Josephine Montfort, an American aristocrat. Jo lives a life of old-money ease. Not much is expected of her other than to look good and marry well. But when her father dies due to an accidental gunshot, the gilding on Jo’s world starts to tarnish. With the help of a handsome and brash reporter, and a young medical student who moonlights in the city morgue, Jo uncovers the truth behind her father’s death and learns that if you’re going to bury the past, you’d better bury it deep.

Add it on goodreads.

Why do I want to read it?

Okay I AM IN LOVE WITH JENNIFER DONNELLY'S WRITING. I fell in love with Revolution, it's such an amazing novel and I re-read it every year. It's a beautiful, heart wrenching, soul shattering story that is worth every tear you'll shed. This books sounds really good too. I love the idea of this being set in the gilded age and how it's about this ambitious girl with big dreams in a big city. The romance sounds cute too! I'm just so excited! I think that Ms. Donnelly's writing will be amazing and I'm sure the plot will be amazing and that at some point I will cry.

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine

What Are You Waiting On?