MFB: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

“There's nothing like deep breaths after laughing that hard. Nothing in the world like a sore stomach for the right reasons.” 

     I have heard such good things about this book that I'd been meaning to read it for quite a while now. Luckily, last month I finally bought it at an awesome price during the sale and I was extremely excited to start reading it so naturally I jumped right into it.

     The book is written as a series of letters, the author being the main character which is Charlie. He sends all these letters to his "dear friend", whose identity we never really find out and I think that's the beauty of it. In these letters, Charlie tells his story as it progresses. Charlie is a freshman in high school, and he is not the nerd of the class or anything, but he is an outsider. In the beginning, that is. Charlie befriends twins Sam and Patrick, which are seniors and I guess they sort of take him under their wing.

Here is the official description of the book:

"Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his year yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But he can't stay on the sidelines forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up."

     It was actually very interesting reading this book. First of all because the majority of teen books are written from a girl's perspective or, at the most, have a dual point of view. It is a little more rare to find teen books written in a boy's perspective and even harder to find an excellent one. Charlie's voice is amazing. That's one of the things that I liked most about this book. He is an introvert and very shy, which resembles my personality but it was interesting to see it manifest in a guy. It was really funny and at the same time enlightening reading through his writing.

     The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a wonderful book that takes on various problems that teens may encounter during their life through showing us the struggles of a single character. The book touches on sensitive issues such as rape, drug and alcohol use, teen pregnancy and so on. I think that the author manages to write about these things in a way that is not disturbing but which leaves its mark on you as a reader and as a person. I would dare say that this book is not just for teens, but also for adults because it really does discuss problems that even their children may struggle with. 

     Overall, I don't have much to say about this book because I have too much to say about this book. Does that make sense? However, what I can say is that I really, really enjoyed it and it has become one of my favorite books. I think that it's worth to give it a try and don't shy away from it just because it's a "teen" book because it discusses important subjects with an unexpected maturity. A must read!

MFB: Toxic

“Don't let pain keep you from moving forward. It shouldn't stop your progress - it should drive it.” 

     Toxic is the second book in Rachel Van Dyken's series, which started with Ruin, Kriesten and Wes' story. Now this book is Gabe's story. Gabe is the cousin of Lisa, who is the roommate of Kiersten. I must admit, I felt really intrigued by him in Ruin, I really liked his character and when I saw that this book was about him, I may have gotten a little too excited.

Here is the official description of the book:

"Gabe Hyde is on borrowed time. He's been hiding his identity for over four years-hidden from the world that used to adore him--obsess over him--driven to the edge of insanity by one poor choice. 
But that one choice, altered the course of his life forever. 
Pretending isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially when pretending means hiding your real self from the people that care about you the most. But if anyone ever discovered the truth it wouldn't just be his life at risk--but hers. 
Saylor doesn't hate men. 
Just Gabe. 
Only Gabe. 
He's a reckless, happy-go-lucky, silver spoon fed pain in her ass. Everything about him makes her more and more confused. Unfortunately they both donate time at the same Group Home. If she wasn't afraid of flunking, she'd be long gone. She hates that she's attracted to him almost as much as he hates that he's attracted to her--and she can tell, especially since their first encounter ended up making her knees so weak she couldn't form coherent sentences for weeks afterwards. But the closer she gets to him, the more confused she becomes. He isn't who he says he is, and he's hiding something big. 
What happen when two worlds collide? Two worlds that never should have met in the first place? Some secrets are too big to be hidden forever--the only question? Will his destroy everyone he loves? Or finally bring about the redemption he's been craving for the past four years?
Everyone has a secret...What's yours?"

     At first, I didn't understand a thing that was happening in this book, no joke. The prologue confused me greatly. But then we jump right back in the story, we even get a little bit of Kiersten and Wes from the beginning and Gabe goes back to being his usual self. However, soon enough, he meets a girl which takes his breath away.

     Gabe is really confused and very annoyed with her. He is the kind of boy who doesn't do romance, he just does girls. But when Saylor comes along, everything he thought he knew goes spinning right around him. At first, he acts like a jerk and treats her horribly, but as the story progresses he can't help but want to be better for her.
     It doesn't help that they both volunteer at a house for sick people, where Gabe's ex-girlfriend, Princess, is. The story really goes much deeper than that and the author gives you hints at various points in the book, but I think it isn't until about halfway in that you find out the story about his ex-girlfriend. However, Gabe has a bigger secret, one that will ruin everything he has with Saylor if it comes out.

     He tries to keep it all hidden from her and from his friends, but Wes eventually finds out and encourages Gabe to talk to him about it. Except Gabe keeps saying that he will when he's ready and before he's ready, his money-hungry father comes looking for him and everything goes spinning out of control. Gabe is at the brink of losing Saylor because the secrets he kept from him, except he can't afford that because he loves her.

     In the end, everything works out just fine. I think that this book is more dramatic than the first one but I actually really loved it. I liked Saylor a lot, she wasn't this whiny, dumb girl that many romance novels have as the lead female character, and that made the book really satisfying for me. I liked the ending too, I loved how Gabe was finally able to let Princess go and embrace a future with Saylor. I give this book five stars because it was really good!

MFB: Ruin

“Life isn’t fair, but living? Living is heaven. Living is a gift. Every gift is different — every path is different — for some reason this is ours, and the sooner we accept it, the sooner we can stop crying and start living.” 

     I don't even remember how I first came around this book but I know that it was a while ago and that I've kept postponing it forever. Worst decision ever. But, thankfully, I finally decided to pick this book up last month when I was going through a desperation phase thanks to my finals. The only good thing about finals is that they brought me here to this book.

     Ruin was the first book that I read this year (without taking into consideration Matched, which is actually the first book I started but haven't finished yet). And it was an amazing book to start the year with! I loved everything about it and it left me completely speechless. 

Here is the official description of the book:

"I'm not your typical girl. I've been running away from the memories that haunt me for so long that depression has become my only comfort. I was content in the darkness...until Wes Michals offered to be my light.
I didn't know that time wasn't my ally -- that every second that ticked past was one step closer to the end of something that was beginning to mean the end of myself. He tried to warn me. He promised me all he was able to offer--each moment as it came--but it would never be enough.
Sometimes when you think it's the end, it's only the beginning. Wes thought he could save me, but in giving me everything, he ruined me. Because after one kiss, one touch, I couldn't--I wouldn't ever be the same.
And from that moment on, his heartbeat became my own."

     Ruin is a book about Kiersten, just your regular girl who sees herself starting a new year at a college where she only knows where roommate and Wes, possibly the most popular, hot guy at her college. Their first encounter is actually hilarious. Throughout the book, they get to know each other and well - you know where the rest goes.

     Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Boy pushes her away - wait, what? But, in all honesty, that's exactly what doesn't happen in this book. How amazing is that? However, Wes has a big secret that he keeps from Kiersten, and the faster he falls for her, the sooner his secret will ruin everything. Or so he thinks, which makes him constantly try to stay away from Kiersten. Except he can't (thankfully).

     This book is really something else. I really loved how, even though Wes had his dark secrets suffocating him, he didn't let that come in the way of his relationship with Kiersten, he didn't break up with her just "for her sake". Another thing that really surprised me about this book is that it jumps right in. There is no fooling around, no "let's-drag-this-on-forever", things just happen right away, one after another, and before you know it you have finished the book. The ending was predictable, but for such a sweet love story, I think it fits. Five awesome stars!

Update: What's New On The Blog?

Dear readers, welcome back to my blog! As I'm sure you have noticed by now, Denise Reads & Reviews now has a fresh new look full with a new background and a new logo. I have mentioned several times in the past that I also had some plans in mind for where I want the blog to go this year and I think it is time that I elaborate.

Surely you have noticed that along with the new design of the blog, I have added a new section to it - which is now empty and postless, but it will not be so for too long! The new section is called Book vs. Movie and in it I am, obviously, going to post comparisons of book-to-movie YA titles. There are quite a few books that have been turned into movies for the past year but there's more to come this year as well. I'm thinking that I might post about past adaptations too, seeing as how there probably won't be too many YA movies released throughout the year, but we'll see.

Lastly, I am thinking about maybe opening a tumblr page for the blog and, depending on its "success", I might be willing to open a Facebook page for Denise Reads & Reviews as well. I am still not quite sure how this will all work out because opening up more pages for the blog is extremely time consuming and, while I am in vacation now, college still takes a lot of my time and it's still my priority. But, if everything goes well, the blog might be expanding this year.

With that being said, this is pretty much what I have planned for the blog this year. There are also some things that have crossed my mind lately but I will not go into details just yet - my plans are still too early in "development" to be announced. 2014 was a great year and I'm looking forward to 2015. I hope most of you will come back to the blog and go forward with me, but I also hope that I will have more people interested in my blog this year. I will also try to stick to my posting schedule so I'll see you all with a brand new post on Friday!

February Books

Here are the books that I have read so far this month:

• Toxic by Rachel van Dyken; my rating: ★★★★★

• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky; my rating: ★★★★★

• Obsidian (Lux #1)  by Jennifer L. Armentrout; my rating: ★★★★☆

* More books are to be listed throughout the month.

Good News!

     Hello, everyone. This is now my official favorite part of the winter season (after the holidays, of course). Why, you ask? Well, because it is that time when we can finally say "FINALS ARE OVER!" and just sit back and relax.By now, I'm pretty sure that everyone is finished with their final exams, which means that we can all just take a break and do all those things that we love but had no time for during these past few weeks. So, yes, my finals are officially over and I now have a one week break from college, which means that I will finally be able to get right back to blogging.

     I have a few surprises coming your way in terms of my blog. I have them all planned out, but what is next is for me to take my plans and turn them into something practical. I will not tell you what I'm thinking just yet, but be assured that something's coming - and it's coming soon! So stay tuned and check the blog during the following week if you want to be the first to see what I'm talking about! 

MFB: Vain

“The truth is, I'm so deep in love with you, I can't see straight. The truth is, I've been afraid to admit it to myself, let alone you. The truth is, I'm terrified.”  

I can't even begin to say how much I loved this book. I really think that it was excellent. I think that it's great when, in a sea of books that go by the good girl-bad boy cliche, you can still find books that actually have a bad girl and they turn out to be great. This book is sweet, emotional and it really makes you think about life.

Here is the official description of the book:

"If you’re looking for a story about a good, humble girl, who’s been hurt by someone she thought she could trust, only to find out she’s not as vulnerable as she thought she was and discovers an empowering side of herself that falls in love with the guy who helps her find that self, blah, blah, blah...then you’re gonna’ hate my story.
Because mine is not the story you read every time you bend back the cover of the latest trend novel. It’s not the “I can do anything, now that I’ve found you/I’m misunderstood but one day you’ll find me irresistible because of it” tale. Why? Because, if I was being honest with you, I’m a complete witch. There’s nothing redeeming about me. I’m a friend using, drug abusing, sex addict from Los Angeles. I’m every girlfriend’s worst nightmare and every boy’s fantasy.
I’m Sophie Price...And this is the story about how I went from the world’s most envied girl to the girl no one wanted around and why I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world."

     Sophie is a bad girl by the book. Alcohol, drugs, sex, you name it, she's done it all. She manipulates people into being her friends, treats everyone like they're not worthy of her precious time and treats boys like they are nothing. She's the queen bee of her friends and no one dares cross her.

     Except her family life sucks. Sophie's parents could care less about her and her life, as long as she doesn't ruin their perfect reputation. If there's one thing that the great Sophie is scared of, that is her father. And when she gets in trouble, he doesn't let it go. Sophie is arrested for doing drugs at a party and her father gives her an ultimatum - behave and keep up appearances or face the consequences.

     But trouble finds her and things take a turn for the worst, as Sophie believes. She is sentenced to six months in Africa, to take care for the children in an orphanage. Sophie thinks her life is over, because Africa is a shameful place. However, there's nothing that she can do but go.

     There, her entire life changes. When faced with the horrible reality of Masego, the place where she has to spend the next six months, Sophie begins to question her lifestyle and everything about herself. It doesn't help that she meets an amazing boy who doesn't seem to fall at her feet like all the guys back home.

     Before she knows it, Sophie gets attached to the children at the orphanage, wants to do everything she can to help them and, thus, gets into dangerous situations. But she won't stop until the children are safe, especially because their rescue lies on her shoulders and on the shoulders of the hot boy, Dingane. Together they help make Masego a safe environment for the children, but they also share an incredible relationship through which Sophie learns the values of life and also her true nature.

     Vain is the first book that I read in 2015 and I can honestly say that it was an excellent read to my reading challenge. This book made me laugh and cry, but I don't have one bad thing to say about it. I'm really glad that I read it and I give it five stars, also recommending it to everyone who's looking for a nice love story and for a valuable life lesson.