Lying Out Loud (ARC Review)

Lying Out Loud (Companion to The DUFF)
Kody Keplinger
Expected publication: April 28th 2015 by Scholastic Press


Sonny Ardmore is an excellent liar. She lies about her dad being in prison. She lies about her mom kicking her out. And she lies about sneaking into her best friend's house every night because she has nowhere else to go.

Amy Rush might be the only person Sonny shares everything with -- secrets, clothes, even a nemesis named Ryder Cross.

Ryder's the new kid at Hamilton High and everything Sonny and Amy can't stand -- a prep-school snob. But Ryder has a weakness: Amy. So when Ryder emails Amy asking her out, the friends see it as a prank opportunity not to be missed.

But without meaning to, Sonny ends up talking to Ryder all night online. And to her horror, she realizes that she might actually like him. Only there's one small catch: he thinks he's been talking to Amy. So Sonny comes up with an elaborate scheme to help Ryder realize that she's the girl he's really wanted all along. Can Sonny lie her way to the truth, or will all her lies end up costing her both Ryder and Amy?  


One thing I like about Kody Keplinger is her writing style is so clear. Her books are all so different with different characters and VERY different plots, but through all of that I can tell that it is Kody writing.
Lying Out Loud. Companion novel to The DUFF (which I really liked) (and no I have not seen the movie yet). In case you are like me (which was incredibly silly of me because I had just re-read The DUFF) and could not tell who Sonny and Amy were in The DUFF, Amy is Wesley's younger sister, Sonny is her best friend.

The Characters:
The book is told through Sonny's point of view. Sonny is a very troubled character, what with her Dad in prison and all. And she has mastered the art of lying. UNTIL, her lying starts to get her into trouble. Namely with the time that she was IMing (I didn't even know people still did that!) a guy named Ryder and Ryder thinks that she is Amy, and this causes ALL sorts of problems.
Sonny is somebody that I was shaking me head at for most of the book, I can understand why she was making all of the stupid decisions that she was, but I still couldn't believe that she was making those decisions. SERIOUSLY SONNY STOP!
One of my favorite things about this book was how much emphasis it put on Sonny and Amy's friendship. I love books about friendship, and this one did not fail to disappoint. Especially since it wasn't the kind that made the friendship look like all peaches and cream. Sonny and Amy have some pretty huge problems that they have to work through. Loved every bit of it. Very realistic.

And one of the best parts of the book, is, you get to see Wesley and Bianca for a bit! And not just in a passing 1 page bit, you actually get to READ ABOUT THEM AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING NOW!!!
I loved those parts.

The romance between Sonny and Ryder was also cute, but honestly I wasn't that crazy about Ryder. Maybe because I loved Wesley so much in The DUFF, and Ryder just wasn't as great as a character as him.
Also, I didn't picture Ryder in my head the way I think I was supposed to. Every time he was mentioned, all I could think of was this:


And this:


I blame it on watching Tangled too many times.

Anyways.....

The Plot:
Kody Keplinger delivered a solid character driven plot with this one. There is also a reveal near the end, so if you ever get just a teensy bit bored and thinking that nothing will ever happen in this book, expect a reveal. (And yes, I did get a teensy bit bored around 3/4s of the way through)
Plot was great. Kept me for the most part entertained and rooting for all of the characters to grow.


The DUFF was a great idea, and sometimes companion novels just don't add up to the original novel. This is not one of those times. Lying Out Loud can stand up next to The DUFF.
I loved reading about Sonny, Amy, Ryder, and getting to see Wesley and Bianca again!!! You can read this one as a standalone, but I definitely recommend reading The DUFF first.  AND the covers kind of match.
Reading Lying Out Loud also makes me want to read The DUFF again, even though I just read it a few months ago.
Awesome book, and I will definitely be looking forward to the next book that Kody comes out with.


***Thanks to Scholastic for providing an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.***

Top Ten ALL TIME Favorite Young Adult Authors

Top Ten ALL TIME Favorite Young Adult Authors

Hosted by http://www.brokeandbookish.com/

 

I broke this down into YA, and into the authors that I have read all (or almost all) of their released, YA, books.

 

 

1. Ally Carter

Known For:

 

 

2. Katie McGarry

Known For:

 

 

 

3. Marissa Meyer

Known For:

 

 

4. Jessica Khoury

Known For:

 

 

 

5. Kasie West

Known For:

 

 

6. Sarah J Maas

Known For:

 

 

7. Jennifer E Smith

Known For:

 

 

 

8. Huntley Fitzpatrick

Known For:

 

 

9. Elizabeth Wein

Known For:

 

 

 

10. All my new found authors that I loved their books but haven't had the time to read their other books, or the authors that have 1 book out that I loved and I am eagerly anticipating new releases.

 

Julie Cross

Courtney C Stevens

Cynthia Hand

Jodi Meadows

And many, many more!

 

 

Hush (Adult Book Review)

Hush
Karen Robards
Published December 30th 2014 by Gallery Books

When Riley Cowan finds her estranged husband Jeff dead in his palatial home, she's sure it's no coincidence. The police rule it a suicide, but Riley thinks someone's out for blood—specifically someone Jeff's father ripped off in one of the biggest financial fraud cases of all time. She suspects that someone is trying to send a message to Jeff's father: Tell me where the money is, or everyone you care about will die.

Riley's in-laws might be billionaires, but she's afraid that not even their dirty money can protect her from an irate investor who will stop at nothing to get his hands on his misappropriated cash. Enter Finn Bradley, Philly-based FBI agent and Riley's love interest from way back when. Finn agrees to help Riley, and the two reignite sparks they both thought were extinguished long ago. But can they discover the killer's identity in time, before he resurfaces—and strikes again?

Review:

First of all, I was at first interested in reading this one because I had seen copies of it everywhere. But I lost interest after a while.

Until that is, I was stuck without a single book but this one.
So, I did end up reading this. But I didn't enjoy myself.

I am not a huge adult book fan, I do enjoy reading my share of Nicolas Sparks and some other adult mystery/thriller writers, but other than my favorites, I don't really branch out much.
And Hush is a reminder why.

I could not STAND the characters, annoying, annoying, annoying, annoying, annoying, (get the point?). Not for me at all. Couldn't connect, didn't enjoy reading about them, lost interest in their stories after the first 25 pages or so.

The plot was boring, really, really, boring. I have read quite a few mystery/thrillers in the adult genre, and I know an awesome, exciting plot when I read one. This was not one of those.

So pretty much the only reason I did finish this one is that it was the only book I had at the time. I probably won't be reading anything else by this author, and I definitely will never pick up this book again.

Waiting On Wednesday - The Fixer

 

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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

 

The Fixer (The Fixer #1)

2015 by Bloomsbury Children's

 

 

 From Publisher’s Marketplace
Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s THE FIXER, a political thriller set against the backdrop of an elite Washington D.C. private school, pitched as part Veronica Mars, part Scandal, the younger sister of a powerful political fixer finds herself embroiled in high stakes and intrigue at her new school, to Catherine Onder at Bloomsbury Children’s, in a two-book deal, by Elizabeth Harding at Curtis Brown.


From the Author's Blog
The first book is due out in Spring 2015. I’ve already finished a draft. There are state dinners and political conspiracies and family drama and SISTERS!

 

 

 

 

 

This one doesn't have a publication date yet, but I LOVE Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Natural series and I can't wait for The Fixer!

 

 

The Letter Writer (Book Review)

The Letter Writer
Ann Rinaldi

Published November 1st 2008 by HMH Books for Young Readers

Eleven-year-old Harriet Whitehead is an outsider in her own family. She feels accepted and important only when she is entrusted to write letters for her blind stepmother. Then Nat Turner, a slave preacher, arrives on her family’s plantation and Harriet befriends him, entranced by his gentle manner and eloquent sermons about an all-forgiving God. When Nat asks Harriet for a map of the county to help him spread the word, she draws it for him—wanting to be part of something important. But the map turns out to be the missing piece that sets Nat’s secret plan in motion and makes Harriet an unwitting accomplice to the bloodiest slave uprising in U.S. history.Award-winning historical novelist Ann Rinaldi has created a bold portrait of an ordinary young girl thrust in to a situation beyond her control.


Review:

The Letter Writer is a fast read which gives a brief, but interesting take on the Nat Turner revolution. With the main character being eleven year old Harriet Whitehead, daughter of a wealthy land owner.

Harriet is a young main character, and much of her narration portrays that. Her character is interesting, but definitely reaches its climax later in the book, so don't expect much from Harriet in the beginning.

The things that stand out the most in Ann Rinaldi's books is the plot. I love how she teaches you simple history along with interesting characters and plots. The Letter Writer is no exception to this rule, absolutely captivating plot. The Letter Writer is also very short and easy to read in one sitting.

I am a big fan of Ann Rinaldi's and have been for years. The Letter Writer is not one of my favorites of hers, but is not at the bottom of the list either. A good standalone, an interesting main character (though young), and a short easy to read book. A short review for a short book, The Letter Writer is a must read for anyone who loves Young Adult Historical Fiction.

Stacking the Shelves (20)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.


E-Books:



For Review:

This week I got a surprise in the mail, and that was this gorgeous package with Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer's new book in it. Off the Page will be out in May and you can add it to your Goodreads here.


What did you get this week? Leave me a link to your Stacking the Shelves below, I would love to visit!

Lola and the Boy Next Door (Book Review)

Lola and the Boy Next Door
Stephanie Perkins
Published July 9th 2013 by Speak (first published September 28th 2011)

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door






Review:
First of all, I am SO glad that they changed the covers on these books (I included the original cover at the bottom of this review). The girl on the original cover is something similar to how I imagined Lola, but the guy doesn't remind me of Cricket at all!
Second, I didn't like Anna and the French Kiss. At all. I had some major issues with the main characters and the plot in general, but thankfully I didn't completely write off the possibility of continuing the series. I actually ended up leaving it to my blog readers, and Lola and the Boy Next Door won by popular vote.

The Characters:
Lola was an awesome main character. I loved how unique she was and how she wasn't afraid to wear her own designs as eccentric as they were. But at the same time, Lola felt completely real.  She had problems, she had insecurities, and she made some bad decisions.
At one point in this book I was actually screaming in my head at Lola because of something one of the characters said to Lola's best friend, (and if you have read the book you probably remember the scene) I WAS FURIOUS WITH THAT PERSON THAT WAS SAYING THOSE THINGS!
And Cricket? Who knew that I would like a character named CRICKET so much. I have absolutely no idea how Stephanie Perkins came up with that name, but honestly it worked with the novel. Cricket Bell and Lola have a long backstory that involved Lola at one point getting emotionally hurt by him. So when he pops back into her life, of course she doesn't immediately trust him. <b>he had to earn her trust</b>. I loved it! I loved watching Cricket and Lola fix their broken relationship and turn it into something beautiful.
I loved how unique and quirky all the characters were. From Lola to Cricket and down to the minor characters they were all completely unique people!

The Plot:
The plot in this one didn't stand out to me as much as the characters. I liked how Calliope was a figure skater (I would love to read a book about her!) The romance between the different characters all felt real and it went at a believable pace. And I could not put this one down (although I had to at some points.)

From beginning to end, Lola and the Boy Next Door captivated me with its unique characters and its fun plot. You don't need to read Anna and the French Kiss to read this one, and I still would not recommend Anna and the French Kiss. But I am really glad that I decided to give Lola and the Boy Next Door a try and I would recommend this one to anyone looking for a cute contemporary read.