The Truth About Letting Go

How did I get it?:
NetGalley- thanks to All Night Reads

Synopsis:

Ashley Lockett has always followed the rules. She’s always done the  right thing, played it safe, and then her ideal life is shattered when  her dad dies suddenly. Fueled by anger and grief, she vows to do  everything opposite of how she lived before. She rejects safety, the  rules, faith, and then she meets Jordan.  Jordan has big dreams, he’s had a crush on Ashley for years, he’s a great kisser… but he’s also safe.  Enter Colt. He is not safe, and he’s more than willing to help Ashley fulfill her vow.

Thoughts:

The Truth About Letting Go follows Ashley’s life as she attempts to move on following the death of her father. I think what stood out for me about this book was how it highlighted the reaction to loss, the way in which it changes for every person that goes through it. It also highlighted the extremes that some people can go to when they’re grieving.

I enjoyed Leigh’s writing, it flowed well and was incredibly easy to read. It’s a quick read, easily devoured. I think Leigh handled the topic of grief very well and sensitively too. There is a little bit of a religious aspect to the story, but this isn’t overpowering.

Ashley makes a lot of mistakes when attempting to deal with the loss of her father. She wants to break the rules. To feel something again. Of course, it being the sort of genre it is, there’s a choice between two guys. The ‘good’ guy and the ‘bad’ guy. They couldn’t have been more different from one another.
I thought they were good characters, but I didn’t really find myself wishing she could be with one or the other. I didn’t really connect with them as much as I would’ve liked to.

I think The Truth About Letting Go is well worth reading. It’s a simple read, but carries a strong emotional message.

Reading next:

Hopeless- Colleen Hoover

Top Ten Books At The Top Of My Summer TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely The Broke And The Bookish. This week the list is the Top Ten Books At The Top Of My Summer TBR list. I’m counting summer as the six weeks break I get from work. (I work in an infant school!) This summer I’m going to try and catch up/start series I have heard so much about. So in no particular order here are the 10 I’m hoping to read..

As ever, click on the book image to get to the Goodread’s page.

I’ve heard so much about this book that I just have to read it!

I’d like to finish this series. I’ve read the first two but haven’t got round to finishing it yet!

Another one that’s been on my TBR pile far too long!

I’ve heard loads of good things about this book. Can’t wait to start it.

I haven’t read any Rainbow Rowell yet. I need to change that.

This book came highly recommended to me, so I really want to read it soon!

This sounds brilliant! Can’t wait to get stuck in!

Gorgeous cover! A book I’ve heard a lot about!

I’ve heard this book is incredibly funny!

I’ve seen this book so much recently on blogger’s lists, that it’s made its way to my TBR pile!

How about you? What books are at the top of your list? Please feel free to share your links and I’ll come and visit your blog.

Wither

How did I get it?:
I bought it!

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery has only four years left to live when she is kidnapped by the Gatherers and forced into a polygamous marriage. Now she has one purpose: to escape, find her twin brother, and go home – before her time runs out forever.

What if you knew you exactly when you would die?

In our brave new future, DNA engineering has resulted in a terrible genetic flaw. Women die at the age of 20, men at 25. Young girls are being abducted and forced to breed in a desperate attempt to keep humanity ahead of the disease that threatens to eradicate it.

16-year-old Rhine Ellery is kidnapped and sold as a bride to Linden, a rich young man with a dying wife. Even though he is kind to her, Rhine is desperate to escape her gilded cage – and Linden’s cruel father. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in what little time she has left.

Thoughts:

I’m way behind with reading this book. I’ve had it on my Kindle for ages, but have only just got round to reading it. I’ve heard such mixed opinions about it, so again, I thought it was time to check out what I thought of it!

I was immediately gripped by the story. It felt mysterious and very dark. I wasn’t sure how far in the future Wither was set, but I got the impression that it was quite some years in the future. In the world that Lauren DeStefano has created for this series, people die younger, so in order to live a ‘full’ life and they have to start everything earlier. This was fascinating. I really liked the atmosphere that was built in this book, it was almost gothic.

This books deals with several issues such as polygamy, sex, death and child bearing. I haven’t really read much about polygamy, but I think it’s a brave subject to explore in a Young Adult book. It’s nice to see that the genre deals with many different issues.

I think the characters come across as very strong. The wives are interesting and memorable in their own ways. I was expecting to leave Wither on a cliffhanger, set up for the next in the series, but it ends quite hopeful for our main character Rhine. I’m sure it’s not going to be plain sailing for her though, so I look forward to checking out Fever to see what happens next!

Reading next:
The Truth About Letting Go- Leigh Talbert Moore

Ascendant

How did I get it?:
Received from author in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

When I was twelve, my mother disappeared. I was the first person to never find her.

I’m sixteen now and she has never been found, alive or dead. I’m not the girl I should have been.

When Charlotte Stevens, bright but failing, is sent to stay at her mother’s childhood home in Somerset England her life is changed forever. While exploring the lavish family manor, Gaersum Aern, Charlotte discovers a stone puzzle box that contains a pentagram necklace and a note from her mother—clues to her family’s strange past and her mother’s disappearance. Charlotte must try to solve the puzzle box, decipher her mother’s old journals, and figure out who is working to derail her efforts—and why. The family manor contains many secrets and hidden histories, keys to the elegant mystery Charlotte called mom and hopefully, a trail to finding her.

Thoughts:

This is another one of those books with a synopsis that completely pulled me in. I really couldn’t wait to get stuck into Ascendant. It was incredibly easy to read. I read it within 24 hours as I was engrossed and just had to know what was going on. I kept putting it down for a break, but ended up picking it up again within minutes!

The story is gripping, clever and it wasn’t predictable. It’s billed as young adult, but I believe readers of all ages would enjoy it. The mystery was well written, not giving too much away at once, encouraging the reader to read on.

I absolutely loved the characters. Charlotte was a great character, all too often characters in young adult books can be a bit needy or sometimes just plain irritating. Charlotte is clever and incredibly engaging. Caleb and Hayden are the main male characters. Caleb was very sweet, but a tad possessive. Hayden was a typical ‘bad’ boy that you find in YA books. I was glad that Charlotte didn’t spend her time fawning over the two boys, because that’s something that is all too common in YA reads.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Ascendant. It was fast-paced, interesting and very easy to read. Look out for my interview with the author Rebecca Taylor coming up very soon!

Lightpoints

How did I get it?:
I received it from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

What if you suddenly discovered you had a sense—and powers—that almost no one else in the world did?

When Amanda Lindner Nichols, a 24-year-old graphic artist living with her husband in Queens, New York, is revived from a near-death experience, she discovers she perceives everyone around her as points of light—but not with her eyes. She soon learns she can not only perceive the life energy of others, but she can give and take it. With the help of others like her, she brings her husband Chris to the brink of death and back to bestow on him the same remarkable faculty, and they’re the happiest they’ve been.

But not for long. All over the world, people who’ve been revived from their own near-death experience at just the right moment discover themselves with these same unusual powers. They find ways to use them—some for good and some for evil. When Amanda and Chris encounter a ruthless group of gangsters with the same faculty, tragedy follows—and Amanda faces the greatest challenge of her life.

Thoughts:

When Peter approached me to read Lightpoints I was really intrigued. The synopsis sounded so interesting and as a short e-book (218 pages) it slotted in nicely between books I have planned to read within the next month.

Lightpoints is a gripping and well-written story about Near-Death-Experiences. It explores the idea of those that come back from death having an unusual power or ‘faculty’. I thought this was a great idea. In Lightpoints, Amanda and her new found friends with the same faculty are able to read people’s auras or lightpoints even if they are not right next to them. The new found power Amanda has really makes her feel in tune with the world. The ability is helpful in situations that Amanda experiences.

The characters in this book are fabulous and well developed. I particularly liked Amanda and her husband Chris. Amanda was a level-headed character that didn’t become power happy. She gradually investigated her new sense, rather than get carried or away or dismiss it as something completely abnormal. Chris’ desire to be the same as his wife, to feel better connected to her rather than grow apart from her was incredibly sweet and believable.

I thought the explanations of Near-Death-Experience and Out of Body Experience were incredibly well written making it easy to imagine. The only slightly negative aspect of this book was it slightly dragging towards the middle, but I’m glad to say it picked up to an unexpected ending.

I’m glad I read Lightpoints, it was an enjoyable, gripping read.

Stacking The Shelves #23

Click on the image to take you to Tynga’s blog to learn more!

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you’re adding to your shelves, be it buying or borrowing. From ‘real’ books you’ve purchased, a book you’ve borrowed, a book you’ve been given or an e-book they can all be shared!

As ever, click on the book image to take you to the books Goodread’s profile.

Edelweiss/NetGalley

The Runaway Wife- This book sounds really intriguing so I was glad to be approved for it!

Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always- A beautiful cover and a book I’m looking forward to reading!

The Truth About Letting Go- The cover is so pretty and it sounds intriguing!

Confessions of a Chalet Girl- I’ve seen this one about a few blogs now and I was intrigued!

 

For Review

Lightpoints- This book is gripping, a story of a woman who has a near death experience and awakens with a new sense.

Ascendant- This book sounds SO good. Can’t wait to read it.

Feel free to leave your links so that I can see what you’re stacking your shelves with!

Etiquette and Espionage

How did I get it?:
I bought it!

Synopsis:

It’s one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It’s quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to finishing school.

Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners-and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine’s young ladies learn to finish . . . everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage – in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year’s education.

Thoughts:

I’m finding this book particularly hard to review. It’s my first venture into reading Gail Carriger. Whilst I did enjoy reading it, I felt like it had a very slow build and it didn’t grip me as much as I’d hoped.

I’ll start with the positives. I thought it was fun and completely silly. I didn’t realise it was directed for a 12-13 year old audience and with that in mind I think it’s fantastic for the target audience. I hadn’t experienced steampunk before which was interesting. I also really liked the Victorian element of the story. The characters were good, but I think Sophronia was the best character. She’s a strong, feisty protagonist which I like.

I did think that there was far too much going on for the size of the book. I began to find it quite confusing and personally think if some of the ideas had been condensed and expanded on then it would’ve gripped my attention more. Perhaps if I had read the series that preceded this, with the same world, I would’ve been more familiar/interested in it.

Overall, I would recommend this book because although I don’t think I’ll continue with the series, the writing is good and it’s good, silly fun.

Reading next:
Wither- Lauren DeStefano