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!

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.

MFB: We Were Liars

“What if we could stop being different colors, different backgrounds, and just be in love?” 

     We Were Liars was literally spectacular. I felt quite a bit overwhelmed while reading it and especially after having finished it. This was no ordinary book, that is for sure. From the beginning, it sort of leaves you hanging and you're probably wondering "what the heck am I reading" most of the times. But, still, this book managed to make me love it. I must admit, when I started it, I wasn't expecting it to be this good and I mostly wanted to read it because it was one of the monthly reads in one of the groups I'm part of.

     However, when I started reading it, things changed. One of the things that I liked most about this book was the way it was written. At times, it can be a bit confusing but it still felt genuine most of the time. The story switches from present to past time and again, but it isn't that difficult to keep up with the pace.

Here is the official description of the book:

"A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.
 We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.
Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE."

     Cadence, the main character in this book, is a seventeen year old girl who suffered head trauma after an accident and she doesn't quite remember what happened to her. At times, she gets bits of her memories back but not enough to put the pieces together and uncover the truth. She is the narrator, and through her, the author puts together several stories retelling her past, mostly the summers she spent with her three friends, The Liars.

     There really isn't much that I can say about this book without digging deep to the truth of the story, which you only find out at the end. And, oh, what an ending! I literally got goosebumps when I read those last chapters. I did NOT expect that at all. Really, I think the twist in the end is what makes this book because honestly, I didn't get very attached to the characters. But still, I really liked this book and one of the things I liked most was how realistic it felt, like we all know that what happens in the book could actually happen to anyone out there. I give it five stars and hereby name it one of my favorite books!

MFB: Deception (Defiance # 2)

“Maybe that's what love is. Giving others the power to hurt you and trusting that they'll use it to heal you instead.” 

     Deception is, in my opinion, definitely the best book in this trilogy and now one of my favorite books. I really liked this one a lot, I think it was the most exciting and the fastest read out of all three books. 

     I liked the idea of having a group in this book, as is the case with most dystopian books. I also liked that Logan became the leader of the group, despite the fact that he was so young. If at first, he wasn't exactly the best leader one could have, he did eventually grow as a man, as a leader and, for me, as a lead character. Also, I liked the addition of those new characters because I grew to like some of them, such as Nola, Jodi, Frankie and even Adam.

     And it's extremely important to mention two of the key characters in this trilogy, which are Quinn and Willow, and I think we all grew to love them. I know for a fact that I did. Quinn is my favorite character in this series and I absolutely love him. He was an excellent addition to these books, a very skilled fighter and also a loyal friend. His need to protect Rachel no matter what showed extreme loyalty, even if he barely knew the persons he was willing to die for.

     As for Rachel and Logan, I have mixed feelings. Rachel is definitely one of my favorite heroines of all time, because the thing I like most in dystopias, or novels of all kinds really, is a strong female character who's ready to take matters into her own hands at all times and who isn't constantly relying on other to protect & save her. And while Rachel was constantly protected by Quinn and Logan, she could handle herself and she was strong on her own. 

     I even liked Ian, believe it or not. That's why I was partly upset when he revealed his true nature. Don't get me wrong, I like a good antagonist and whatnot, but the great turn of events wasn't so great after all - if anything, it was extremely predictable. But still, I liked it & I liked Ian. Even when he turned bad, I still liked him.

     Overall, I simply loved this book. It had a lot of action, a lot of intrigue and suspense. It also had a lot of character development, along with happy moments and sad moments. Rachel is definitely one of the strongest characters I have come across in books of this kind and I could relate to her, feel her pain and happiness as if it was my own. So, yes, Deception is one of my favorite books and I rate it five stars!

Here is the official description of the book:

"Baalboden has been ravaged. The brutal Commander's whereabouts are unknown. And Rachel, grief stricken over her father's death, needs Logan more than ever. With their ragged group of survivors struggling to forge a future, it's up to Logan to become the leader they need—with Rachel by his side. Under constant threat from rival Carrington's army, who is after the device that controls the Cursed One, the group decides to abandon the ruins of their home and take their chances in the Wasteland.


But soon their problems intensify tenfold: someone—possibly inside their ranks—is sabotaging the survivors, picking them off one by one. The chaos and uncertainty of each day puts unbearable strain on Rachel and Logan, and it isn't long before they feel their love splintering. Even worse, as it becomes clear that the Commander will stop at nothing to destroy them, the band of survivors begins to question whether the price of freedom may be too great—and whether, hunted by their enemies and the murderous traitor in their midst, they can make it out of the Wasteland alive. 
In this daring sequel to Defiance, with the world they once loved forever destroyed, Rachel and Logan must decide between a life on the run and standing their ground to fight."

MFB: The One (The Selection # 3)

“Break my heart. Break it a thousand times if you like. It was only ever yours to break anyway.”

     The final book in this trilogy, The One was definitely better than its predecessor and like the first book in the series, it quickly became one of my favorite books that I read this year. After reading The Elite, I wanted to get my hands on the last book as soon as possible. Not because the previous book had been amazing, but because the action seemed to get a little more intense and because I was curious if the story will get better in the final book.

     I was right to want to read this right away, because it was much better than its prequel and because, at least in my opinion, it was a very satisfying end to the series. Like the previous books, I really don't think that The One was a very dystopian book - more like a romantic novel with a little bit of action thrown in here and there, but still I liked it and I do not regret reading the series.

Here is the official description of the book:

"The time has come for one winner to be crowned.
When she was chosen to compete in the Selection, America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the end of the competition approaches, and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants."

     America was maybe a little less annoying throughout this book and towards the end, I could see a significant change in her character so I think it's safe to say that there was some sort of character development for her in this book. What I found most interesting about The One is that things are different for a change and the tables are turned. It looks like, when America finally decides who she really loves between Maxon and Aspen, she's not the one doing the choosing anymore. 

     Prince Maxon seems to like Kriss quite a lot, which infuriates America at times - and I loved that, because she finally realized she should stop playing with the two boys and actually make a choice for a change. The author kind of leaves you hanging for the majority of this book, making you guess which one of the girls Maxon will choose. However, the choice seems obvious from the very beginning - at least in my point of view. 

     This book was a bit shocking what with all the tragedy. I especially felt really bad for The Queen and - bummer - for Celeste. I mean, sure she was horrible and whatnot, but in this book she revealed her reasons which were 100% accurate and I began seeing her in a different light. And yes, I started to like her, so I was a bit upset with what happened to her. I also felt like the whole America-Kriss-solidarity thing was a little bit forced. I mean, who would be so friendly towards the other when you were competing for the heart of the man you loved? 

     All in all, I think that The One was a great book and by far, the best in the series. While The Selection was also really good in my opinion, I think that this one was better and more complex. Aspen was pretty funny in this book and I especially liked the whole Aspen-Lucy thing that was going on. However! I was expecting this to be the last book, so imagine my surprise when I heard that this was not actually the end of the series. I mean, why drag on something that's already wrapped up? I might read The Heir when it comes out, but I think that the author should have just ended things here.

MFB: The Selection (The Selection # 1)

“I hope you find someone you can't live without.I really do. And I hope you never have to know what it's like to have to try and live without them.” 


     I'd been meaning to read The Selection for quite a while but I always put it off for unbeknownst reasons. I remember that when I first saw the book, I was really wowed by the cover and as soon as I checked it out and saw that it fit my favorite genres, which are science fiction & dystopia, I couldn't be happier. But other books where more important to me at that time and this was indefinitely postponed.

     Last month, I finally got around to reading it and I'm very glad that I did. This was a very different book in my reading experience so far. Maybe because it was more of a romantic story with dystopian elements rather than a dystopian story with romantic elements, like other books that I've focused on more this year. The Selection may sound like a fairytale at first - 35 girls compete for a crown and the heart of young Prince Maxon. But do not be fooled, because this is not a fairytale! (Or is it? Pretty much.)

Here is the official description of the book:

"For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself--and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined."

     America Singer is a teenage girl living in the fictional country of Illea. The dystopian society she lives in is divided into castes from One to Eight, with Ones being the royal family and the Eights being the homeless. America is a Five. For her, The Selection is her worst nightmare and she wants no part in it. Funnily enough, guess what? She takes part in it. 

     How, you ask? That's an easy answer to imagine if you read the first few pages of this book. America is in love with Aspen, who is a Six. It just so happens that their society has strict rules, which barely (or not at all) allow them to be together. So, as soon as Aspen realizes he's no good for America because of his lower caste, he breaks up with her. Devastated, she signs up for The Selection - and she's chosen. 

     What follows, as you can imagine, is a lot of competition between 35 girls who are fighting for the same goal - or at least that's how it should be. But it's not, because while some are fighting for the Prince's heart, others simply want the crown. America is not interested in the competition at all in the beginning - she tries to escape, she makes a deal with the Prince in return for his promise that he will keep her until the last possible moment without choosing her. 

     Things start to change, eventually, as America starts to question her motives. While she swears to stay true to her love for Aspen, the attraction that keeps growing between her and the Prince can't be ignored. The story sounds very much like a fairytale, with all the occasional action-packed subplots, and it all evolves into an interesting story about love and honor. This book quickly became one of my favorites and made me want to read the sequels as well. I gave it 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a love story!

MFB: City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments # 5)

“Kill me, little sister. Kill me and you kill Jace, too.”  

     It's finally happened! City of Lost Soulshas officially become my favorite book inThe Mortal Instruments. This was, without doubt, the best book in my experience with this series. I feel relieved that I can finally write a review about a book of this series where I have mostly positive thoughts to write. 

Here is the official description of the book:

"The New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments continues—and so do the thrills and danger for Jace, Clary, and Simon.
What price is too high to pay, even for love? When Jace and Clary meet again, Clary is horrified to discover that the demon Lilith’s magic has bound her beloved Jace together with her evil brother Sebastian, and that Jace has become a servant of evil. The Clave is out to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. As Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle wheedle and bargain with Seelies, demons, and the merciless Iron Sisters to try to save Jace, Clary plays a dangerous game of her own. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?
Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series."

However, I want to start with what I didn't like about this book. At the top of my list stands Jocelyn, obviously. I hated her in the previous book and I hated her in this book. Also, I couldn't bring myself to care about the characters of Maia and Jordan in this book either, and I was very frustrated with their points of view because I just didn't care much about their stories and I felt like they didn't play such a very important role in the story. The same goes for Jocelyn and Luke. Maybe I'm not being reasonable, but the truth is that I couldn't bring myself to care much about any characters apart from the five main ones. The only exception is, without doubt, Magnus.

When I first started reading these books, I thought for sure that my favorite couple will be Jace and Clary, but after reading five books I realized that their romance was just awful. We never got to see an actual good romance between the two of them. They were either fighting, upset with each other, or in love but not talking to each other. In this book, we got way more of them but, unfortunately, it wasn't real. Jace was under Sebastian's possession for the majority of this book so I can't help but think that their moments weren't real.

But, as I said, this was definitely my favorite book in the series. I liked the fact that there was a lot of action in this book and it kept me hooked for most of the time. The whole Jace-Clary-Sebastian story was really good and it kept me reading page after page. I actually really liked Sebastian in this book. Call me crazy, but I did. For most of it, anyway. I liked his interaction with Clary, which almost felt genuine at the time, but I think we all knew it was just pretend. Towards the ending of the book, Sebastian showed his true colors and it was nothing short of shocking when he tried to abuse Clary. However, I did like his character a lot in this book which is a shame, because just like Jace, it wasn't his real self. 

It's funny that the only book of this series where I liked Jace and Clary was the one book were Jace wasn't being himself and Clary was pretending to be okay with it. It seemed to me that, under Sebastian's influence, Jace stopped being his whiny, sometimes stupid, self and he simply acted like he was in love with Clary. But, since it was all fake, I knew that in the end it had to be redeemed somehow. And now we get to my favorite part of the book. I was extremely thrilled (and this might sound crazy) that, in the end, Clary used Glorious on Jace instead of Sebastian to separate the two of them. I just loved it! It made everything way more dramatic and it definitely had a bigger impact on me.

The little cliffhanger ending kept me my interested piqued and, after finally reading a good book in this series, it left me very excited to read the final installment in The Mortal Instruments. However, I must say that while I did give this book 5 stars, I didn't exactly love it. I certainly didn't like it as much as I liked other books I rated 5 stars. Instead, I gave it 5 stars because I thought it was the best book in the series and because reading it was my most pleasant experience with this series.

MFB: Lost and Found (Lost and Found # 1)

“Sometimes we just have to cut off the dead branches in our life. Sometimes that's the only way we can keep the tree alive. It's hard and it hurts, but it's what's best.” 

     Lost and Found by Nicole Williams has officially become one of my favorite books. Why, you ask? It's simple. I think by now all of us have heard of at least one story about a good girl falling for a bad boy and whatnot, but stories of bad girls falling for good guys are a bit harder to find. And I really, really love bad girls in books. So when I found this book, I was extremely happy.

     Rowen Sterling is a broken girl. Having had a tough life and a horrible mother who could care less about her, Rowen starts following the wrong path. Drugs, alcohol and boys make her forget about the awful life awaiting for her back at home. But when recently graduated Rowen finds her dream art school, her mother sends her to a ranch in the middle of nowhere to prove that she's worthy of her paying Rowen's bills at the school.

Here is the official description of the book: 

"There’s complicated. And there’s Rowen Sterling.
After numbing pain for the past five years with boys, alcohol, and all-around apathy, she finds herself on a Greyhound bus to nowhere Montana the summer after she graduates high school. Her mom agreed to front the bill to Rowen’s dream art school only if Rowen proves she can work hard and stay out of trouble at Willow Springs Ranch. Cooking breakfast at the crack of dawn for a couple dozen ranch hands and mucking out horse stalls are the last things in the world Rowen wants to spend her summer doing.
Until Jesse Walker saunters into her life wearing a pair of painted-on jeans, a cowboy hat, and a grin that makes something in her chest she’d thought was frozen go boom-boom. Jesse’s like no one else, and certainly nothing like her. He’s the bright and shiny to her dark and jaded.
Rowen knows there’s no happily-ever-after for the golden boy and the rebel girl—happily-right-now is a stretch—so she tries to forget and ignore the boy who makes her feel things she’s not sure she’s ready to feel. But the more she pushes him away, the closer he seems to get. The more she convinces herself she doesn’t care, the harder she falls.
When her dark secrets refuse to stay locked behind the walls she’s kept up for years, Rowen realizes it’s not just everyone else she needs to be honest with. It’s herself."

     At the Willow Springs Ranch, Rowen's life becomes significantly more complicated when she meets the nice, handsome Jesse Walker. Jesse is nothing like Rowen and he's nothing like any guy she has ever met. Desperately trying to stay away with him, Rowen finds herself drawn to Jesse all the more. When things start getting serious between the two of them, Rowen does the one thing she knows how to do best - she pushes him away.

     But as Rowen convinces herself that staying away from Jesse is the best thing for the both of them, she realizes that she can no longer live life the way she has until now. And Jesse is responsible for that. Convinced her heart was hidden deep behind the walls she'd put up, Rowen struggles with her new feelings for Jesse.

     This book is basically a book about a bad girl struggling to find her way again and to do it before it's too late. When even her own mother thinks of her daughter as nothing but a worthless freak, how can Rowen think any different of herself? But Jesse sees past all of that and helps Rowen realize she's more than what everyone keeps calling her. Jesse's family also helps with her discovery of her true self because in them, Rowen finds a family read to help and support her if she needs it.

      I really liked Lost and Found and I'm happy to hear that there are more books in this series. I am definitely going to continue it. One of the reasons this book grew on me so much is that it's similar to one of my other favorite books, Dare You To, by Katie McGarry. I recommend Lost and Foundto anyone who wants to read a very nice story about discovering who you really are.

MFB: Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful # 1)

“I knew the second I met you that there was something about you I needed. Turns out it wasn’t something about you at all. It was just you.” 

     Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire is one of the first YA romances I have read and I must say that I loved it. It had such a big impact on me because it was a different book, in a good way. The love story was intense and beautiful and the characters felt genuine to me. I really liked the protagonist, Abby, and I loved experiencing the story from her point of view. After reading Beautiful Disaster I found out that the author wrote another book that tells the story from Travis' point of view and I was curious to read that one as well. It was an interesting journey, reading the same story again but from a male perspective because it was almost fascinating to get inside Travis' mind.

Here is the official description of the book:

"INTENSE. DANGEROUS. ADDICTIVE.
Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.
Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match."

     I absolutely loved Abby Abernathy. She was a great protagonist and what I liked most about her was the fact that she didn't fall head over heels for Travis from the first moment. Unlike all the other girls who were desperate just to get his attention, Abby was actually not interested in Travis in the beginning. Although he tried his best to get her to see him, she just wasn't impressed by him like every other girl. I suppose that's one of the main reasons Travis liked her so much.

     Travis Maddox was a very interesting character, to say the least. At times, I thought he was a bit crazy and I feared for his sanity or for Abby's safety, but he (almost) always tries to keep her safe, even though sometimes he unwillingly puts her in danger. Even so, Travis always protected Abby and tried to keep her out of harm's way. Although at times I felt like he didn't deserve her, I was glad to see that they remained together because I felt like Abby was his clarity.

     Sometimes, I felt like Travis and Abby's relationship was somewhat of a disaster - see what I did there? Their love becomes obsessive and codependent and, at times, it feels disturbing that Travis was so obsessed with Abby, practically becoming her stalker, and that Abby would put up with all of Travis' mood swings. There are certain points in this book where you stop and ask yourself whether this is a healthy relationship. The answer is no, their relationship is anything but healthy. However, two people madly in love will always find their way back to each other, even after being apart for a while. This was also the case of Travis & Abby. 

      Beautiful Disaster is a very nice romance novel that will leave us all with an important lesson - the importance of having someone who will always be there for you, no matter how much you've hurt them your even yourself. Having someone you can always rely on is extremely rare these days, so we can call Travis and Abby really lucky. I recommend this book to anyone who's looking for an intense romance book.

MFB: The Fault in Our Stars

“You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world...but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices.”

     I absolutely loved this book. I loved every little bit of it. I think it's safe to say that this is one of the BEST books I have ever read. It is definitely the best book I read this year. It doesn't have any supernatural elements, it is downright realistic and I think that makes it have such a great impact. We're talking about real problems, diseases that exist and that people confront with.
The Fault in Our Stars is an emotional rollercoaster. Arm yourself with a couple boxes of tissues if you venture into reading it. If you haven't read this book yet, I strongly recommend you do it now.
This book has everything. It has comedy, it has drama, it has romance, friendship and family. It made me laugh and it made me cry. It made me smile and it made me sob. 

Here is the official description of the book:

"Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten."

     Hazel Grace Lancaster is a great main character. She is a sixteen year old teenager who has been diagnosed with stage 4 Thyroid cancer. What I really loved about her is how down to earth she was. She knew exactly what her illness meant and she knew that she was going to die, eventually. She was not in denial, looking for hope of survival everywhere, unlike other characters in books or movies who suffer from whatever illness. However, despite all this, she never wanted to be a burden. She wanted her parents to be happy and she always put their wellbeing ahead of her own needs. 

     Augustus Waters is, as well, an amazing male lead. He is gorgeous, he is funny and he is just a great presence to be around. He starts falling for Hazel when they meet at Cancer Support Group. After Hazel states her opinion about Augustus' fear of oblivion, he says "Aren't you something else." I fell in love with him with that very line. He was diagnosed with cancer as well, but after having his leg amputated, his cancer retreats. He and Hazel form an immediate bond, starting off as close friends and slowly falling in love with each other.

     I honestly don't know what else to write about this book because it literally left me speechless. What else can I say, rather than that this book broke my heart and that I loved it and hated it at the same time? I think that this is a great book that teaches us about the importance of life, of that which we have. For people who are not struggling with such serious problems life loses its meaning in this desperate race of ours to acquire material happiness. For Hazel and Augustus, happiness means falling in love with each other and sadness means having your heart broken because of the tragic doom of death. 

      The ending was another emotional bit for me and I loved how it all ended, reminding me a bit of An Imperial Affliction, Hazel's favorite book. We do not get to know what happens with the characters after the book ends, we simply get to think about it. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a sweet, heartbreaking love story about two amazing people who taught me how to better appreciate life. 

     The Fault in Our Stars is now also a movie production, starring Shailene Woodley as Hazel Grace Lancaster and Ansel Elgort as Augustus Waters. In theatres now!

MFB: Divergent (Divergent # 1)

“Becoming fearless isn't the point. That's impossible. It's learning how to control your fear, and how to be free from it.” 

     Divergent is the first installment in the well-known dystopian trilogy Divergent written by Veronica Roth and one of my favorite books. The book tells the story of sixteen year-old Tris Prior, a teenage girl struggling to find her true identity. I loved this book from the moment I started reading it to the very end.

     I first came across Divergent when I was browsing on Goodreads. After hearing so many good things about it and seeing the wide popularity that the book kept gaining, I decided that I wanted to check it out. And, boy, am I glad that I did! Divergent quickly became one of my favorite books and I read it very fast because I just had to keep turning the pages. It has everything a reader wants: action, conflict, character development, romance. 

Here is the official description of the book: 

"In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her."

     One of the main things that I loved about this book was the protagonist, Tris. She was one of the best characters of the book and one of my favorite book heroines of all time. She wasn't whiny, she wasn't weak and she was always true to herself, while trying to help the others as best as she could. Even though in the beginning she didn't understand the true concept of selflessness and bravery, that changes throughout the series and it changes in a good way. Tris evolves a lot as a character, eventually becoming strong, brave and selfish. 

     Another thing (or should I say character) that I loved about Divergent was Four. He was a very good supporting character, a mysterious boy with a strange past. I loved how his relationship with Tris evolved from initiate-instructor to a true romance. I felt like Four genuinely tried to help Tris discover and defeat her fears and without his help, Tris never would have made it through Dauntless initiation. He is also one of my favorite book characters of all time.

     Overall, this book had everything. Good protagonists, good antagonists, good conflict, good friendships and good romance. Divergent will always be one of my favorite books and even though the following two books weren't as good as the first one - in my opinion, anyway - I really liked this series. I even prefer it to The Hunger Games, which says a lot because I loved The Hunger Games trilogy. What's even best, Divergent is now also a series of movies, starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James and Kate Winslet as Tris, Four and Jeanine, respectively. I definitely recommend this book to everyone who likes dystopias because it is an excellent read!

MFB: Ignite Me (Shatter Me # 3)

“And we are quotation marks, inverted and upside down, clinging to one another at the end of this life sentence. Trapped by lives we did not choose.”

      Ignite Me is the third and final installment in the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi. The book concludes the story of seventeen years old Juliette, a girl whose touch is lethal. With a single touch, Juliette can literally shatter anything or anyone. 

     When I started reading this series, my expectations weren't too high and boy, was I wrong! The book is a YA dystopia and being my favorite genre, I decided to give it a try. I was not disappointed! All the books were full of action but the third one I thought was the best one because we got a little bit of everything: action, romance, friendship, character development. Suffice it to say this book completely blew me away,

Here is the official description of the book:

"The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, called “a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love.”
With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn’t know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive. But that won’t keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. The one person she never thought she could trust. The same person who saved her life. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world . . . but that’s not all he wants with her.
The Shatter Me series is perfect for fans who crave action-packed young adult novels with tantalizing romance like Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Legend by Marie Lu. Tahereh Mafi has created a captivating and original story that combines the best of dystopian and paranormal, and was praised by Publishers Weekly as “a gripping read from an author who’s not afraid to take risks.” Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and satisfying end."

     I really liked that in this book, Juliette finally decided to take manners into her own hands and use her powers for the greater good. If in the previous books she was extremely scared to use her powers and she was more of a burden than any help, in the final book she joins the battle and finally learns how to cope with her overwhelming power. I really liked how her character evolved in the story and I liked seeing her become a powerful young woman.

     Another thing I really loved about this book was Warner and Juliette. Warner was amazing and even though I hated his character in the first book, all the revelations about him completely changed my perspective of him. I was extremely happy that Juliette chose Warner over Adam in the end because Adam's character was ruined for me. I didn't really like him in the first book and I started hating him in the second book. By the third book I was completely sick of him.

     Overall, I have to say that I'm extremely glad that I decided to read this series. I completely loved it and it has become one of my favorite dystopian series along The Hunger Games and Divergent. I definitely recommend reading the Shatter Me series and trust me when I tell you that Ignite Me is one of the best books I have read so far!