Side Effects May Vary Book Review

Side Effects May Vary
Julie Murphy

Hardcover, 330 pages

Published March 18th 2014 by Balzer + Bray

Recommendation Level:

3. Would only recommend this if you are into this genre/type of book.

 

What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?

When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission.

Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most?

 

 

 Review:

An entire day since I finished this and I am still figuring out whether I liked it or not.

The Plot:
The book is split up into Alice and Harvey's points of view. And is also split up into then, and now.
Alice finds out she has cancer, and (according to the synopsis) creates a bucket list. And starts to right a bunch of wrongs. Yet I felt as if very little of this book focused on the bucket list. The other thing is this book takes a while to pick up speed. It was a bit boring for the first 1/2 of the book or so.
After the first 1/2, I found myself liking this book more. I think that I started to understand the characters better.

The Characters:

The big thing I noticed while reading reviews for this one, is that people didn't like it because of Alice. Alice is not a nice character. She is mean in parts of this book. She uses Harvey. Yet in some way I still liked reading her point of view. I even liked it better than reading Harvey's. When you are reading about a character being mean/snobbish who has everything in the world, and has a seemingly "perfect" life....It is one thing. But reading Alice's point of view. And seeing her go through finding out she has cancer, bullying, and a ton of other things that I won't mention in fear of spoiling the plot. Alice is much more realistic. She doesn't take everything in stride. She is frustrated.
So I didn't enjoy the things Alice did. But I did enjoy how realistic she seemed.

Harvey is just Harvey. He is completely infatuated in Alice. And Alice does take advantage of that (and Harvey knows it. I wasn't a huge fan of his character. He wasn't amazing, and wasn't terrible.

Overall I think that the author did a great job with realistically portraying Alice. But since I wasn't as big of a fan of the way the plot was set up, and I wasn't a huge fan of Harvey....I would only recommend this if you are into Realistic Contemporary Fiction.

Have you read Side Effects May Vary? What did you think?

Monday YA Author Interview With Kerry Gordon

Where are you from?
I was born in Kingston, Jamaica, moved to New York for a few years, and then relocated to Central Florida.

When and why did you begin writing?

Writing has been a part of my life for a long time. I express myself best writing, it’s my therapy. Growing up I would jot down my thoughts in a notebook or write poems.  But I seriously began writing about a few years ago when I started freelance writing for Demand Media Studios (e-how).

What books have most influenced your life most?

There are so many, but R.L. Stine (I read all the series) and Danielle Steel because they were the books I grew up reading obsessively.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

I respect and like different authors/writers for different reasons. There are so many facets and styles of writing that I appreciate, so for me, all the writers I’ve come across have been influential in some way.

What book are you reading now?
Markus Zusak, “The Book Thief” and David Baldacci, “One Summer.”

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
  I really like Brad Thor.  His book “The Athena Project,” had me hooked from the beginning.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
 I enjoy different types of genres and writings, so there is not one specific author because I respect and like many.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Editing, editing and editing. It’s a tedious process but necessary.

Have you been an avid reader your entire life? (since you could read)
Yes. Reading has been a part of my life since I was a young child. I had collections of Encyclopedia Britannica, R.L. Stine and Danielle Steel books growing up.

What character in your books do you relate to most?
I think most of my characters have relatable qualities similar to mines, but in Blind Sky, the main character Sky is who I relate to the most. She struggles with trust and being vulnerable, which I can identify with.

 

What is your favorite sport to watch and or play?
 Basketball, Track& Field (I use to run track), gymnastic and football.
Favorite Movie?
 That’s a hard one. I have so many, but a few of my favorite are any Marvel Comic book movie, Titanic, Forest Gump, Clueless and The Notebook to name a few.

Chocolate or Vanilla?
 Vanilla with sprinkles.

Puppy's or Kittens?
Both.

Beach or Mountains?
Beach, although mountains are beautiful too.

If you could be a color, what color would you be?
Blue, and would be even better if I could be different shades of blue.
Favorite Dessert?
 Just about anything with chocolate.

If you could be a book character, what character would you be?
I don’t know, but I like characters with an edge and humor.

Blind Sky 
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6Plk-lH1Bo&feature=youtu.be

Paperback, 342 pages

Published March 21st 2014 by Biblio Publishing

Shot- can end a life
A Moment- can alter a life
*A Mission will Change her Life*

After brutal slayings in her home town of Gold Coast and her mother’s murder, Sky enlists with Logue agency, an elite recruiting agency in Australia, and quickly becomes one of their top assassins at 18 years old.

But on assignment to capture Lars, an enemy of Australian Government who has an insatiable thirst for power, Sky faces her most dangerous mission yet. And as secrets unfold about her mother’s past, the stakes are higher when she becomes the target and the one being hunted


Kerry Gordon
http://authonomy.com/writing-community/profile/06930b3b-8fcd-414c-8fa3-dbdb7d4c9a42/zenra/
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/29913779-k-s
http://www.librarything.com/profile/K.G.www.amazon.com/gp/product/1622491742

Double Digit Book Review

First of all, I remember really enjoying A Girl Named Digit. I also remember really liking the chemistry between Digit and John. Other than that, I don't really remember anything else. I should really have picked up A Girl Named Digit again before reading Double Digit. But I didn't, so going into Double Digit I was pretty blind. Digit is such an interesting unique character. Her brilliance is great to read about (although some of her thinking I didn't quite understand). I thought that Annabel Mona...more Double Digit (Digit #2) Annabel Monaghan Published January 7th 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Synopsis via Goodreads: Digit and John are back for a second book and in way over their heads. To say eighteen-year-old Farrah Higgins—or Digit—is good at math is a laughable understatement. She’s been cracking codes since childhood, and is finally at home with “her people” at MIT in Cambridge. Her talents are so off the charts that her laptop is under surveillance by both the CIA and an ecoterrorist named Jonas Furnis. So when she thoughtlessly hacks into the Department of Defense’s database, she lands in serious hot water inside and outside the law Review: First of all, I remember really enjoying A Girl Named Digit. I also remember really liking the chemistry between Digit and John. Other than that, I don't really remember anything else. I should really have picked up A Girl Named Digit again before reading Double Digit. But I didn't, so going into Double Digit I was pretty blind. Digit is such an interesting unique character. Her brilliance is great to read about (although some of her thinking I didn't quite understand). I thought that Annabel Monaghan did a great job making Digit both brilliant and realistic. As I said above, I remember really liking the chemistry between Digit and John in A Girl Named Digit. But it felt like that same chemistry was missing in Double Digit. I never felt as if the two of them belonged together. The mystery has ties to A Girl Named Digit which (again) I really should have reread it before diving into Double Digit. And that is probably the only reason that I was confused in parts of the book. The plot moves very quickly. You are introduced again to Digit, and the entire story line is wrapped up in less than 200 pages. I thought that the fast pace of the story was refreshing after all of the 400+ page books that I had been reading. But there is also the element of making me feel as if I am reading a Middle Grade book. Not Young Adult. (Although some of the topics in the book would be classified as Young Adult). My mistake is not re-reading A Girl Named Digit. If I hadn't made that mistake I probably would have enjoyed Double Digit a lot more. And my only big problem was I wasn't feeling Digit and John's chemistry. So this was a pretty good sequel. Just not one of the best.

Characterize It (15)

 

Welcome to Characterize It, a meme held every Thursday and hosted by http://theyabookbutterfly.blogspot.com/

As usual for memes, link the meme back to the host page so that other can join in!

If you want to know more about Characterize It, go to this page.

Most Loving Parent(s): Parent that is actually around/big part of story
This is not necessarily even good parents, just parents who are actually present while the book is going on.

I'm going with......Maggie's parents from the Also Known As series.

I loved both Also Known As and Going Rogue, and one of the things that made them awesome was Maggie's parents. Who are not only a big part of the story, but who are also spy's!






Honorary Mention:
 

 I'm going with Hazel's parents from The Fault In Our Stars. They are around, and are supportive of their daughter's choices. I loved reading about them.

 

 

   

Red At Night Novella Review

Red At Night
Katie McGarry

Kindle Edition, 84 pages

Published April 1st 2014 by Harlequin Special Releases

In Red at Night, Stella and Jonah are total opposites. She's the girl with purple hair from the wrong part of town. He's a high school senior who hangs with the cool crowd. Until a car accident leaves him haunted by guilt, and Jonah starts spending time at Stella's favorite refuge…the local cemetery.

Stella knows she should keep her distance—after all, she spent her girlhood being bullied by Jonah's friends. Once he's sorted out his tangled emotions, Jonah won't have time for her anymore. Too bad she's already fallen for him….




I'm not the kind of person that reads every single novella/short story that comes out. However, when I heard that Katie McGarry (author of one of my all-time favorite contemporary series) was coming out with one.....I knew I had to read it.

Red At Night is 84 pages long. That is probably about 1/4 to 1/5 of a normal size novel. But somehow Katie manages to introduce you to the characters, get you to connect with the characters, and give you an entire story in that 84 pages.
And as much as I wish that this were a full length novel. I enjoyed the shortness of it.

Jonah and Stella were both incredible characters to read about. And unlike most other novellas, I connected with the two of them just as much as in a regular book.

So, thank-you Katie McGarry for managing to WOW me with this novella. I was expecting greatness, but I got a whole lot more.
This is worth the 30-45 minutes you will probably spend reading it. Although it might turn out to be 60-90 minutes if you turn out wanting to re-read it (which I am planning on).

Characterize It (14)

Welcome to Characterize It, a meme held every Thursday and hosted by http://theyabookbutterfly.blogspot.com/

As usual for memes, link the meme back to the host page so that other can join in!

If you want to know more about Characterize It, go to this page.

Still Good: Character that maintains their likeability throughout the series.

I chose Laurel from the Wings series by Aprilynne Pike.
Laurel does have her ups and downs throughout this series, but altogether I enjoyed her character through all of the four books.
(Below are both the hardcover covers and what I believe are the paperback covers...)






Have you read the Wings series? Can you think of another character that would fit into this category?
Leave me a link to your Characterize It post/blog....I would love to visit!

My Most Anticipated 2014 Not Yet Released Books

I enjoyed Find Me SO MUCH! I need to have more time with Wick and the other characters!

Expected publication: September 23rd 2014 by HarperTeen  

Sequel to the Naturals......Can't wait to see what Jennifer Lynn Barnes does with this one!
Expected publication: November 4th 2014 by Disney-Hyperion



I enjoyed Kasie West's previous novels, and personally I think that this sounds even better than The Distance Between Us.
Expected publication: July 1st 2014 by HarperTeen



What can I say? I need to know how it ends :-)
Expected publication: May 6th 2014 by HarperTeen




Expected publication: May 27th 2014 by Harlequin TEEN



Third (and I believe final) book in the Jasper Dent series.
Expected publication: September 9th 2014 by Little, Brown



I love Historical Fiction. This one sounds amazing!
Expected publication: April 22nd 2014 by Balzer + Bray