The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Crime

Author: Marie Rutkoski Publisher: Bloomsbury Published: March 12th 2015 Rating: 4/5  Goodreads // Book Depository
Synopsis: Lady Kestrel's engagement to Valoria's crown prince calls for great celebration: balls and performances, fireworks and revelry. But to Kestrel it means a cage of her own making. Embedded in the imperial court as a spy, she lives and breathes deceit and cannot confide in the one person she really longs to trust ...

While Arin fights to keep his country's freedom from the hands of his enemy, he suspects that Kestrel knows more than she shows. As Kestrel comes closer to uncovering a shocking secret, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth.

Lies will come undone, and Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them in this second book in the breathtaking Winner'strilogy
If I had to choose three words to describe this book they would be dark, political and sly, but in the best way possible. Having read the first and not being overwhelmingly impressed by it, this was a welcome change in atmosphere. It was made clear in this novel that this isn't a love story, it is a story of a nation at war, of politics and of relationships, whether it be between cultures or people. If you loved the first book, you'll love this even more and if you didn't I'd say give it a go anyway because I was extremely impressed. 
To keep this review tidy (as I have a lot to say) I'm going to work in sections. Spoilers will also be found after the cut, so you've been warned!

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

Open Road Summer

Author: Emery Lord Publisher: Walker Published: April 15th 2014 Goodreads // Book Depository
Synopsis: After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O'Neill  is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind... and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately Lilah's 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break up ballads and healing hearts. But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is a risk worth taking. 
First lets start with the non-spoilery section. Read this book. It's Winter in Australia right now and I was desperate for a little summer action and I thought this would be the perfect read. I loved this book so much. It's cute and fun, but it also slips in some really tough issues. Without turning the book into a darker contemporary read, it makes it a lot more believable. I loved the friendship between Reagan and Lilah, and I was kind of jealous to be honest. This was a really enjoyable read and if you're into summer, road trips and great friendships, definitely check this book out.
Now into the spoilers, you've been warned! 
MATT FINCH HAS BEEN ADDED TO MY LONG LIST OF BOOK BOYFRIENDS! I loved him, and I loved his character and I loved that he was friends with Reagan before he was anything else. He was obviously into her for a majority of the book, but I liked that Reagan cared more about her friendship and her friends career than she did a relationship. 
Lilah was one of my favourite characters in this book, but if I'm being real there were very few characters and I enjoyed all of them. She was sweet and she reminded me of Taylor Swift minus the serial dating aspect of her personality. Lilah Montgomery has only had one boyfriend to date, and despite her fame she did her best to keep him hidden from the media. I think the end of their relationship was really realistic, and the problem she faced in the book are problems teen stars commonly face. Fake nude photos, supposed pregnancies. And seeing how that affected Lilah really makes you realise how much it affects teens in the spotlight. Anyways, I just thought this was a really good addition to the book. 
Dee (Lilah) and Reagan's friendship was also a really big part of the book I loved. For me it was more about their friendship than Reagan's later relationship with Matt. Don't get me wrong I LOVED that part of the book, I just think the friendship aspect was really important. 
Some of the 'bigger' issues Reagan faced included her ex boyfriends 'attack' (I'm not sure what else to call it) and also the cheating. When her boyfriend hit her, I was proud of Reagan for walking away. I don't think this was necessarily the most realistic part of the book but I think it sets a good example. I liked the repetition of the cheating as well, I wasn't happy about Matt 'cheating' on Reagan but I think it showed how strong she was just walking away. She doesn't put up with sh*t, and I really liked her for that. Also side note, I really disliked Corrine from the start, and I totally guessed she'd pull a stunt like that. 
Last but not least, I really liked the writing style. I prefer first person narrative, so I really enjoyed this. 
Overall I'm sure you can tell I really liked this book. There were parts I wasn't overly in love with, but it was really solid book. 
My Rating:

I hope you enjoyed this post! There should be a book haul coming soon :)

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Between The Lives by Jessica Shirvington

Between The Lives

Author: Jessica Shirvington Publisher: HarperCollins Australia Published: May 1st 2013 Goodreads // Book Depository Synopsis: For as long as she can remember, Sabine has lived two lives. Every 24 hours she Shifts to her 'other' life - a life where she is exactly the same, but absolutely everything else is different: a different family, different friends, different social expectations. In one life she has a sister, in the other she does not. In one life she's a straight-A student with the perfect boyfriend, in the other she's considered a reckless delinquent. Nothing about her situation has ever changed, until the day when she discovers a glitch: the arm she breaks in one life is perfectly fine in another. 
With this new knowledge, Sabine begins a series of increasingly risky experiments which bring her dangerously close to the life she's always wanted.... But just what - and who - is she really risking? 
I really enjoyed this book, and there were very few things I didn't like about it. Jessica Shirvington has created a fantastic story that engages readers from the very beginning. I would recommend this to everyone, it's definitely one of my favourite books this year (so far)! Spoilers below, so read at your own risk! The plot of this book was really good, I feel like there weren't any holes. I've seen some people complain we don't know why this has happened to Sabine, but I think Ethan was right when he said that it happened to everyone, they just didn't remember. I don't think we needed to know, especially because by the end Sabine didn't want or need to know herself. The contrast of her two families was also really great to read. In one life, she only had one sister whom she was incredibly close to and in contrast in her other life, Sabine had brothers who were somewhat distant until the end of the book. Shirvington has written an original story that was thoroughly enjoyable and I can't wait to read more of her work.  I really liked this book, although there were a few things I didn't like. I'll talk about the things I did first.  Somehow I could sympathise and understand what Sabine was going through. I obviously don't shift into a new life every night at midnight, but I feel like there are situations where I'm not exactly the same person as I usually am. I can't imagine what it would be like for Sabine to live like this forever, just reading about it made me anxious.  I really like Sabine's character development, it took a while for her to understand but eventually she did; even if it was partly because of Ethan (whom I loved). I was happy she ended up in a good place before the book ended. Ethan was a fantastic addition to the story, I knew as soon as they met at the chemist (or pharmacy) that her parents managed, that he would be the love interest in this story. I liked that he saw the worst of her before he started to see her best. The relief Sabine felt when he told her he believed her, was shared by me. The fact that Ethan believed in her enough to even test it showed that he had feelings for her.  There are a lot more things about this book that I loved, but there's too many to mention. Sabine's relationship with Ethan and her character development were the two most important things. Especially because they were so closely related, without Ethan, Sabine would not be in the place she was by the end of the book. I loved that there were two Ethan's, that without a doubt they would end up together even after Roxbury Ethan was gone. I liked how this was also a continuation of Ethan mentioning that he would know if he knew Sabine, and when she meets other Ethan, he does. At his core he feels like he's met her before.  Now for the things I didn't like.  I didn't like the scene where Sabine was cutting herself, I cringed as I read it and if I were to take out any scene, it would be that one. It lasted a little too long for my liking and I feel as if it could have been better written.  The only other thing I didn't like about this book was that Ethan dies. I don't think I've ever been so heartbroken for a fictional character (apart from Tobias). Ethan was such a big part of Sabine's recovery (because let's face it she was going a little bit crazy for a while). It broke my heart that he died, but it also made me extremely angry that he didn't tell her it was going to happen. This wasn't a massive negative for me, it just made me upset. I did really like that he left his things to her, it was so sweet. Although their relationship seemed somewhat rushed, and almost seemed like insta-love, but I think more time passed in the book than I think so it's not a massive thing for me.  Overall, I think this book was fantastic. It was easy to follow and the storyline was quite original. I haven't read anything like this before, or seen anything with the same idea. Jessica Shirvington broke my heart and made me smile all in one book.  Final Rating:

I hope you enjoyed this review! More coming soon :)
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Disclaimer: This book was provided to me by the published via Netgalley but all opinions are my own and unaffected by the way I received this book.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Author: Jenny Han Publisher: Simon & Schuster  Published: April 15th 2014 Goodreads // Book Depository
Synopsis: What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them - all at once? Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are the ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved - five in all.  When she write, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she never would say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control. 
This was such a cute, quirky, fun read that is great for all ages. I really enjoyed Lara Jean's narrative and would recommend this to anyone who is into chick lit or just really cute love stories in general. While being a love story, this book also contains very realistic family dynamics. I loved how Lara Jean interacted with her sisters. If you think this book would interest you, give it a read. Spoilers below :)

In Chapter 1 when Josh is introduced, I knew straight away that Lara Jean had or has feelings for him. And I felt for her, having to see her sister be with him everyday, that's pretty harsh even if no one actually knows that's how she feels. When Peter is introduced, I liked him straight away. He comes across as slightly arrogant and self obsessed but he's likeable and funny and I could tell that he liked Lara Jean the longer they were fake dating.

I have a  soft spot for enemies turn lovers books, and while To All The Boys I've Loved Before wasn't exactly that, two people who didn't necessarily like each other struck a deal to fake-date, each of them getting something out of it, but ending up with more than they bargained for. I love books like this.   Lara Jean's dynamic with her sisters was one of the most realistic I've read. After their mother died Margot became the Mum and Lara Jean looked up to her for that. I really liked Margot at the start of this book, but by the end I wasn't a fan of her. When she got back even before she found out about Josh kissing Lara Jean, she was so critical of her. I felt sorry for Lara Jean. I really loved Kitty, she was adorable. I think her relationship with Lara Jean was one of my favourites in the whole book. Kitty knew what was up with Lara Jean and Peter before they knew themselves. I liked that Kitty was such a big part of the book, and didn't just get pushed aside so we could focus on Lara Jean and Peter.

Lara Jean and Peter were the best. I loved them. I loved their friendship, and their fake relationship as well. I knew before they knew themselves that they were starting to actually like each other. When they kissed in the hot tub, I was so happy! Finally, Lara Jean was actually acting on her feelings. I also thought it was so sweet that Peter was open about his first. Peter was so great with Kitty which is something I enjoyed so much. Once again Kitty was such a big part of the story line considering this all happened because of her, which we find out in the end.     I really liked the way the book ended, but I wanted more. I just found out this is going to be a duology and I'm so extremely excited to read the next book!
Final Rating:

I hope you enjoyed this book review. Check back soon for a new post :)
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Beach Blondes by Katherine Applegate

Beach Blondes

Author: Katherine Applegate Publisher: Simon Pulse Published: May 6th 2008 Goodreads // Book Depository
Synopsis:  Summer Smith is in for the best summer of her life. Between the cold weather and her boyfriendless existence in Minnesota, Summer is ready for sun, sand and boys in the Florida Keys. And by the end of the first day, she has more than enough to keep her busy: Adam, the senator's son, has looks, power and all the money in the world. Diver, the mystery man, is mellow, intriguing, and definitely unique. And Seth, the perfect guy... only he has a girlfriend. But with new friends, cute guys and miles of hot white sand, Summer's in for more trouble than she thinks. 

I really enjoyed this book, it got me in the mood for Summer (despite it Autumn in Australia right now) and got me out of a massive reading slump. If you're into kinda cliche summer novels with a few surprising plot twists, definitely check out this book. 
Spoilers ahead, so if you plan on reading this book but you don't wanna know what happened, leave now! 
This book surprised me, I didn't expect to like it as much as. I had mixed feelings by the end. There were a few kind of predictable twists in the story line but I was on the right track every time I took a guess at what would happen next. I like books that surprise me, but I didn't really expect this one to, so I was pleased by the mild plot twists I wasn't able to guess. 
The character development was lacking a lot for me, I feel like none of the characters grew, except for Diana. I don't think Summer herself learnt a lot or overcame anything apart from having to choose between 3 guys. The rape storyline with Diana was one that I think helped progress the story more than anything. Diana had more character development than all of the other characters combined. 
I also feel like the ending was very rushed, everything was wrapped up very quickly. We find out that Diver is her brother in the second last chapter, and I definitely would have liked more of their relationship. This was hinted at earlier in the book when Diana finds all of the clothes she, Summer and Marquez had bought him, along with the deflated red ball. We get a quick conversation between the two and then Summer's off trying to get Seth back.
The ending with Seth was rushed. The fact that within 5 minutes of getting on that plane, Seth had forgiven her after she cheated on him is extremely unlikely. I definitely think more time should have been spent on this part of the story.
Overall I really did enjoy this book, it got me out of a massive reading slump (having not read a book since the start of March). I'm surprised I managed to get through it, being over 700 pages. I will be reading the next book whenever I can purchase it, I'd like to see how the story progresses and hopefully how Summer goes about introducing Diver back into the family.
Final Rating:

I hope you enjoyed this book review! More to come soon! 

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