Review: Forgiving Lies (Forgiving Lies #1) by Molly McAdams

Pub. Date: October 29th, 2013
Publisher: William Morrow & Company
368 pages
ebook

After a sexual assault, Rachel learns just how true the saying “blood is thicker than water” truly is. Unwilling to believe her cousin capable of rape, Rachel’s best friend Candice is convinced that Rachel has confused her attacker and savior. Worried that pushing the subject will cause a bigger rift between her and Candice, Rachel decides to try and forget the whole thing. For an entirely different kind of assault, career undercover cops Logan and Mase are reassigned to Texas from Florida. With the cover of bartenders, the two are assigned to help track down a serial killer. Logan tries to stay detached from everything while on the job, and Rachel initially is completely uninterested in any kind of relationship, but when the two fall into an easy friendship, they slowly break down their self-imposed walls. Only when their two worlds dangerously collide do they realize how little protection the walls offered.

After the first two chapters I did something I never do when reviewing – I read a bunch of reviews. I was legitimately convinced that I had been sent the wrong book to review, because the beginning of the novel was in no way represented within the synopsis. As a reader I was completely thrown. To make matters worse, I severely disliked everything about the first few chapters. So much happens. From instalove, to assault, I didn’t feel I had a chance to connect with any of the characters before they were polarized. The worst part of the early chapters was the worst representation of “best friends” that I have

ARC Review: Forever Innocent by Deanna Roy

Pub. Date: October 1st, 2013

Publisher: Casey Shay Press

Paperback

288 pages

For most people, walking into the first day of lectures may cause a little bit of anxiety. But walking into class and seeing your ex-fiancé, adds a little more pressure to the situation. The last memory Corabelle has of Gavin is his back, as he walked out the door at their son’s funeral without a good-bye. Best friends, first loves, fiancés and parents, Corabelle and Gavin’s pasts are inseparably interwoven. But even if they wanted to, can they learn to accept the people they have become, start living in the present, and move past the devastation they faced in the past?

Not only does this novel put a huge spin on what has become typical for New Adult, but it completely changes what a happily ever after means. There can’t be a typical easy breezy fairytale ending when you have faced the devastating experience of becoming parents, being told your newborn wouldn’t live, and then watching him die. The novel balances the lows of just how hard it would be to experience losing a child, with the highs of Corabelle and Gavin's relationship. The grief aspect is never completely consumes the story, which I think consistently makes the novel accessible for all readers. You truly hope that Gavin and Corabelle can learn to lean on each other again. Regain the trust and love they had, and together work through their grief. Their relationship is heartbreaking, but realistic, and one you can actually connect with and rally behind.

Review: All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

Pub. Date: September 3^rd, 2013

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Hardcover

368 pages

This review has taken me a very long time to write. First, because I loved this novel so much that I couldn't properly express my love without just being gushy, and second because I’ve tried to remain as spoiler free as possible. Here goes.

If you could go back and change one moment, what would it be? Would you stop the car accident that killed your parents; would you make your best friend go to the doctor when they first started complaining that they weren’t feeling well; would you kiss the person you always wanted to kiss, no matter the consequences? When the ability to travel through time is discovered, the reasoning was full of good intentions – prevent wars, save lives, do good. But four years later, ego and avarice have taken over. What if you were to discover the one moment you needed to change was the moment someone makes one of the greatest scientific discoveries? And what if the only way to stop the discovery, is to kill the discoverer?

Review: My Favorite Mistake by Chelsea M. Cameron

Pub. Date: August 27^th, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin

Paperback

400 pages

Cameron has an insane ability to pull you right into her novels. Her novel Deeper We Fall is by far my favorite read of the year, and My Favorite Mistake is definitely top 10. As Cameron’s novels begin to take the ‘traditional’ publishing route, I’m preparing my ears for the squeals of joy as more readers discover her excellence.

Taylor and Hunter first connect like a punch connects to a face. Nothing could surprise Taylor more than her new roommate being a smooth talking, guitar-playing dude. Instantly rubbing her the wrong way, Hunter seems to have the innate ability to make Taylor uncomfortable and bring out the worst in her – a trait that leads to him gaining some significant facial bruising. Hunter, out of rooming options makes Taylor a deal – by the end of the semester, if she can truly make him believe that she either loves or hates him, he’ll move out. Rooming with a guy is just as awkward as you would expect, but Taylor and Hunter learn that opening up about the struggles they’ve dealt with in the past, may just be the thing that can bring them together.

Review: The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

Pub. Date: August 27th, 2013
Publisher: Katherine Tegen
330 pages
Hardcover

I’m not going to lie, when I first picked up The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider, the retrospective first person point of view threw me in its unusualness. But, after a few chapters, once I was more acclimated, the wit and heart of the lyrical writing truly pulled me in, and I felt silly for not seeing it right away.

Ezra Faulkner is forced into the kind of self-discovery we all hope to have, but that many of us are too afraid to really attempt. After a car accident leaves the once top tennis player permanently benched with a seriously damaged knee, he no longer fits in with his athlete friends. Yet, something many would see as totally negative, for Ezra is ultimately more bittersweet. For the first time, Ezra is able to see how superficial and unsupportive the people he called his friends really were. Open to forging new friendships, Ezra meets new girl Cassidy Thorpe and reunites with his childhood best friend, whose unusual tragedy years early cemented him on the unpopular list, ultimately separating him from Ezra. Surrounded by people who actually care about and challenge him for the first time, Ezra is finally asked what he wants, who he is, and most importantly who he wants to be. Discovering the answers to these questions propels Ezra in a completely different direction than he was headed before, this time, on his own terms.

Review: The Truth About Letting Go by Leigh T. Moore

Pub. Date: February 18^th 2013

Publisher: All Night Reads

Ebook

276 pages

Moore has created a realistic and beautifully crafted story about grief, and the way people work through loss. Full of (mostly) likeable characters, family conflict, and high school drama that we can all relate to, The Truth About Letting Go pulls at the heartstrings and doesn’t let go, even when you’re done reading.

Ashley Lockett’s father has just died from a short, severe, battle with cancer. He seemed perfectly healthy one day, then gone six months later. Ashley is struggling to understand how cancer could have happened to her family, and questioning everything she believed in before. Good-boy Jordan represents everything Ashley would have wanted before her father’s death. He is passionate about his faith, and confident that through faith and prayer Ashley will be able to heal, but the ‘new’ Ashley doesn’t agree. Bad-boy Colt represents Ashley’s newfound need to change. With Colt, Ashley is able to live dangerously. The grief and intense pressure she feels lessens when he pushes her out of her comfort zone, and distract her thoughts.

The thing I appreciated about this novel the most was the soul, and the purpose. While there was a love triangle element, family conflict and friendship conflict, the focus is always on Ashley’s struggle to