ARC Review: Before You by Amber Hart

Title: Before You (Before & After #2)

Author: Amber Hart

Release Date: 29th July 2014 

Publisher: K-Teen

Find on: Goodreads

Quick Review: Some say love is deadly. Some say love is beautiful. I say it is both.

Faith Watters spent her junior year traveling the world, studying in exquisite places, before returning to Oviedo High School. From the outside her life is picture-perfect. Captain of the dance team. Popular. Happy. Too bad it’s all a lie.

It will haunt me. It will claim me. It will shatter me. And I don't care.

Eighteen-year-old Diego Alvarez hates his new life in the States, but staying in Cuba is not an option. Covered in tattoos and scars, Diego doesn't stand a chance of fitting in. Nor does he want to. His only concern is staying hidden from his past—a past, which if it were to surface, would cost him everything. Including his life.

At Oviedo High School, it seems that Faith Watters and Diego Alvarez do not belong together. But fate is as tricky as it is lovely. Freedom with no restraint is what they long for. What they get is something different entirely.

Love—it will ruin you and save you, both.

Detailed Review: *I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Many YA contemporary romance books I've read so far have been __________ (fill in the blank with positive adjectives)

Before You was phenomenal. 

I don't think I've ever been able to read a contemporary romance with as much enthusiasm and excitement as I did Before You.

I guess I just hadn't actually stumbled upon a book with a story as good as Before You's. 

Diego was one of my all-time favourite characters. I admired his strength and independence. I was really getting tired of stereotypes in books like this, where the boy is a nerd or person who people think is a freak or loser.

Amber Hart breaks all stereotypes.

I repeat, ALL stereotypes. Instead, she brings in issues to do with racism, violence, poverty, etc. into the story, which I thought was no easy task, yet Hart managed to deliver everything in one explosive debut.

Faith Watters is not the perfect girl she is either. She maintains her perfect facade, one only her best friend Melissa can see through, and Diego. She has to set an example for everyone, being the pastor's daughter and live up to everyone's expectations. She feels trapped within the image she's created for herself.

Again, the girl is the perfect one, leader of the dance team, but has a secret. 

But she doesn't exactly follow the stereotype. She isn't exactly perfect.  People just think she's perfect. See the difference? It's people's perception of you that contributes to your personality.

One lesson we all have to learn in the end is: people will always judge us wherever we go. 

Who would have also thought that this book would have a scare factor? I cried in the last few chapters. I didn't see that coming. 

This is my reaction through the last few chapters:

Gasp-cry-cry-cry-cry-double gasp-cry-sob-cry-cry

BUT.

This book has the most beautiful and heart-breaking ending ever. Just saying.

Brief Review: You want a contemporary that packs a punch? This is the one. Amber Hart  challenges society at a whole, challenges its views on racism, interracial relationships, violence, and so much more. When reading this book, expect ANYTHING. It's so easy to be caught up in her descriptive writing that goes to the heart, whether it's painful or beautiful to read. I really want to see what Hart brings up in After Us next!!!

Final Rating: 5/5 'Totally Amazing!'

 

QUOTE: 

I would have liked to say this to Faith at the beginning of the book,

It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not---André Gide

Your Reviewer:

Waiting on Wednesday: After Us (Before & After #2) by Amber Hart

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that features upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication 'can't-wait-to-read' selection is:

Title: After Us (Before & After #2)

Author: Amber Hart
Release Date: 30th December 2014
Publisher: K-Teen
Find on: Goodreads

Sometimes secrets kill. Maybe slowly, maybe painfully. Maybe all at once.

Melissa smiles. She flirts. She jokes. But she never shows her scars. Eight months after tragedy ripped her from her closest friend, Melissa is broken. Plagued by grief, rage, and the painful memory of a single forbidden kiss.

Javier has scars of his own. Life in the States was supposed to be a new beginning, but a boy obsessed by vengeance has no time for the American dream. To honor his familia, Javier joins the gang who set up his cousin, Diego. The entrance price is blood. Death is the only escape.

Two broken souls could make each other whole again—or be shattered forever.

Our time will come. And we'll be ready.

I read the first book, Before You and fell in love with Amber Hart's writing straight away. Not to mention the number of social issues she includes in her books! I can't wait to see what she'll bring up in After Us! 

P.S. That cover is breathtaking!

What are you waiting on this week? Comment below!

Teaser Tuesday #6

@ Should Be Reading

Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week, I'll be sharing a teaser from the last book of a trilogy: Raging Star by Moira Young. I swear, I literally hold my breath while reading this book.

Here's the snippet:

He steps in close an before I realise his intent, his warm lips is on mine. He kisses me.

Review: Obstacles by Chris Reardon

Title: Obstacles

Author: Chris Reardon
Release Date: 1st October 2013
Publisher: Solstice Publishing
Find on: Goodreads

Quick Review: A child will die. You're afraid to live. Would you go to all lengths to save him? Darkness knows no bounds, as Alcott, an African American doctor sees all too well. The man is petrified by death. His fragile existence rests at the mercy of the universe. This fact is far too much for him to handle. From unyielding nightmares to elevator terrors, he's lost in paranoia. 

Assigned to look after an ill child, Alcott's horrors only heighten. Gari is a nine-year-old boy with a fatal disease. He will surely pass on within the year. Alcott bonds with him more and more each day. Part of him knows this grim fate just isn't right. 

Alcott befriends a hospital patient. This lunatic forces him to lug home an ancient text on bringing back the dead. Despite the man's obvious dementia, Alcott attempts the scheme. Charging up a cliff, he recites the chant over ocean gusts. 

A god woman glides in from the horizon. She instructs Alcott on the trials to save Gari's life. These fearsome Obstacles require true strength. From battling sharks to wielding a flail, he must prove fortitude against genuine danger. Alcott decides his fate at this moment. 

Death's claws shall not grasp Gari's soul.

Detailed Review: *I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

A review has been long due for this book; I actually read it last year, but unfortunately at that time school got in the way, so I never had the chance to voice my thoughts on Obstacles.

It was a short read, and a fast-paced one. I finished it in a matter of hours. 

You want to know more? Think The Hunger Games.

This book is about a man who fears death, but a boy who is diagnosed with a chronic illness gave him the courage and determination to sacrifice himself.

The sacrifice involves a set of obstacles which he has to overcome. If he passes them, the boy will live.

However, there's a catch.

Alcott's existence will be erased from the boy's life. He will not remember him, or thank him for what the doctor has done. 

I was really surprised at how taken I was with the book. I literally. Could. Not. Stop. Reading.

Page after page after page after page. I couldn't even stop if I wanted to my hands were flipping the pages so fast.

The obstacles that Alcott had to go through were ones I found funny at times and scary at others. I mean, battling a gigantic mosquito? Um, I do not want to experience that, not even in my dreams. 

I have to give the author credit for his wonderful imagination. I tell you, he's got a creative streak. I could tell from reading his book. 

The characters had unique and original backgrounds too. But they all had one similarity: they were willing to sacrifice themselves for the people they loved. And I was touched by that fact.

I wouldn't have thought Reardon would have it in him, but he bravely put in one twist that changed everything, EVERYTHING, in the book. I was so surprised and shocked, I almost dropped the book.

This book is almost like the indie version of The Hunger Games.

Sadly, no matter how much I convinced my co-blogger Chloe that she should read it, she said no. 

Why?

The cover. That was the reason she gave me.

And if you don't know by now, Chloe is a massive cover-judger ( I can be one too but I often make exceptions) and she absolutely did not want to pick up the book because she didn't think the cover was nice.

That story up there holds a message: DON'T be like Chloe. I'm not mad at her for not reading the book, but I'd appreciate it if people could learn to not judge books by their covers, because, sometimes, the cover can't often be a show of the content, whether it's good or bad.

So please, give books like Obstacles a chance.

Brief Review: The author obviously has a really good imagination, and I believe he couldn't have written Obstacles as well as he did without it. But ultimately, this isn't just about your darkest fears, it's about sacrificing yourself for the people you love .Be prepared to face your fears in this book because anything can happen. If you want a fast-paced read that is short, I definitely recommend Obstacles!!! 

Final Rating: 5/5 'Totally Amazing!'

QUOTE: 

Martin Luther King Jr. said it best,

A man who won't die for something is not fit to live---Martin Luther King Jr.

Your Reviewer:

Waiting on Wednesday: Skandal (Sekret #2) by Lindsay Smith

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that features upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication 'can't-wait-to-read' selection is:

Title: Skandal (Sekret #2)
Author: Lindsay Smith
Release Date: April 2015
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan Children's
Find on: Goodreads

The dramatic sequel to Sekret, this psychic Cold War espionage thriller follows Yulia to Washington, DC, where she fights to discover the truth about her family without losing control of her mind.

My mind is mine alone.

Life in Washington, D.C., is not the safe haven Yulia hoped for when she risked everything to flee communist Russia. Her father is reckless and aloof, and Valentin is distant and haunted by his past. Her mother is being targeted by the CIA and the US government is suspicious of Yulia's allegiance. And when super-psychics start turning up in the US capitol, it seems that even Rostov is still a threat. Ultimately, Yulia must keep control of her own mind to save the people she loves and avoid an international Skandal.

My first thoughts when I saw the cover: OMG THAT IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I'VE EVER SEEN.

Yes that cover is amazing. I have read Sekret and honestly I thought the author was very talented and brave to have chosen to write historical fiction because it really is very hard to expand since there are so many facts and rules to follow.

But she did it, and she is an amazing author. So needless to say, I can't wait to see what magic Lindsay Smith is going to wield in Skandal!

If you want to read my review for the first book, Sekret, click HERE.

What are you waiting on this week? Comment below!

Teaser Tuesday #5

@ Should Be Reading

Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week, I'll be sharing a teaser from a contemporary: Before You by Amber Hart. I just finished it, and really loved it. I want people to know more about this book!

Here's the snippet:

The skin at the corner of my eye is cut.

"If you're not careful," Javier says in a low tone, "your actions will kill off Faith, as well."

Release Day + Trailer Reveal: THE GIRL FROM THE WELL by Rin Chupeco

Hey everyone! Today, we're revealing the book trailer for THE GIRL FROM THE WELL by Rin Chupeco!! I have watched the trailer, and all I can say is: Get ready to be frightened out of your lives!

AND NOW HERE IS THE TRAILER FOR THE GIRL FROM THE WELL. Enjoy, or be afraid...

To find out more about the book, click HERE!

The Ring meets The Exorcist in this haunting and lyrical reimagining of the Japanese fable.

Okiku has wandered the world for hundreds of years, setting free the spirits of murdered children. Wherever there’s a monster hurting a child, her spirit is there to deliver punishment. Such is her existence, until the day she discovers a troubled American teenager named Tark and the dangerous demon that writhes beneath his skin, trapped by a series of intricate tattoos. Tark needs to be freed, but there is one problem—if the demon dies, so does its host.

With the vigilante spirit Okiku as his guide, Tark is drawn deep into a dark world of sinister doll rituals and Shinto exorcisms that will take him far from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Japan. Can Okiku protect him from the demon within or will her presence bring more harm? The answer lies in the depths of a long-forgotten well.

Praise for The Girl From the Well:

“[A] Stephen King–like horror story…A chilling, bloody ghost story that resonates.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Chupeco makes a powerful debut with this unsettling ghost story…told in a marvelously disjointed fashion from Okiku’s numbers-obsessed point of view, this story unfolds with creepy imagery and an intimate appreciation for Japanese horror, myth, and legend.” –Publishers Weekly,STARRED

“The Girl from the Well is part The Ring, part The Grudge and part The Exorcist…A fantastically creepy story sure to keep readers up at night… Okiku is one of the most interesting YA characters to date.”RT Book Reviews,  4 ½ STARS-TOP PICK!

“A dark novel that will appeal to horror fans, lovers of Elizabeth Scott’s ‘Living Dead Girl.’” –School Library Journal

“This horror mystery has just the right blend of contemporary teenage life and the fantasy of a ghost story. It is well written and fast paced, and the characters both dead and alive are developed and engaging...well worth having in a teen collection that caters to fantasy and horror lovers.” VOYA Magazine

About Rin Chupeco: Despite uncanny resemblances to Japanese revenants, Rin Chupeco has always maintained her sense of humor. Raised in Manila, Philippines, she keeps four pets: a dog, two birds, and a husband. She’s been a technical writer and travel blogger, but now makes things up for a living. The Girl from the Well is her debut novel. Connect with Rin at www.rinchupeco.com.

We will also be one of the tour stops for the book's virtual tour! If you're interested in my (Elicia) thoughts of the book, stop by our blog on the 25th of August!