Waiting On Wednesday #13 : KISSING IN AMERICA by Margo Rabb

KISSING IN AMERICA
by Margo Rabb




Publication Date : May 26th 2015
Publisher : Harper
Genre : Young Adult / Contemporary
Available To Pre-Order : Amazon UK




In the two years since her father died, sixteen-year-old Eva has found comfort in reading romance novels—118 of them, to be exact—to dull the pain of her loss that’s still so present. Her romantic fantasies become a reality when she meets Will, who seems to truly understand Eva’s grief. Unfortunately, after Eva falls head-over-heels for him, he picks up and moves to California without any warning. Not wanting to lose the only person who has been able to pull her out of sadness—and, perhaps, her shot at real love—Eva and her best friend, Annie, concoct a plan to travel to the west coast to see Will again. As they road trip across America, Eva and Annie confront the complex truth about love. 

*****

I am really really excited about this book. Friendship. Romance. Road Trip. Adventure. A perfect recipe for a great contemporary YA novel. 

What are you waiting for this Wednesday?

**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, 

that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**

Jandy Nelson: THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE

Warning : Prepare your Kleenex! It will be needed! This book will make you cry crocodile tears!

THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE is a debut novel by the lovely and very talented Jandy Nelson. This book was firstly published in 2010 and it became an instant best-seller. So many book reviewers and book critics fell in love with this book instantly.

And I was no different. I picked this book only couple of weeks ago. I stumbled on it while browsing through Leeds' Waterstones. And after reading the blur on the back, I had to have in my collection.

*****

Lennie Walker, seventeen, Wuthering Heights obsessed, clarinet player, band geek. Also hopeless romantic, prone to scattering pose all over town and as of four weeks ago, sister less....

*****

Do you see why I couldn't put it down back on the shelf?

But let's start from the beginning. The first thing which brought the book to my attention was the edition itself. I bought the newest edition of this book - only published this year. This edition is designed to catch your attention. Firstly, it's blue. The whole book is blue. Even the spine and the pages are dyed blue (And you know how much I love when the publishers dyed the pages!). White writing which makes a contrast to the blue, announces the title and beautifully compliments the design. 313 pages divided into 38 chapters. Almost every chapters is accompanied by a poem written by Lennie. What a beautiful touch. It makes the book more original and helps you to connect with Lennie and her story even more. I have to say - well done the graphic team behind this edition. A job well done!


The writing is so mesmerising and original that you can't help but fall in love with the story straight from the first page. It's relate able, easy to read and very modern. You won't even realise it and soon enough you will not be able to put the book down. It gets under your skin.

The story itself is a beautiful, heart-shattering tale of love and loss. Its uniqueness is compelling. The heartbreak Lennie has to go through will leave you in tears. Her pain will become your pain. Her tears and confusion will become your tears and confusion. All the way through you will keep on thinking and making ideas of how would you react to a tragedy like hers. What would you do if you lose the person you love the most? And how would you deal with the fact then in the middle of grieving you start to fall in love?


Every single chapter... every single page is a pure perfection. 


Lennie is just a girl who is in so much pain after her sister's death. She is confused. She is hurting. She doesn't know how to cope with life without her best friend. And this boy comes along and she is finding herself falling in love. Deeply. And Joe.. Well he is just dreamy gorgeous boy who helps Lennie to move on from her pain.

That brings me to conclusion about this book. If you haven't guessed yet, I really really really liked this story. It's one of those stories which will leave a mark on you and it will change you. So thank you Ms Nelson for writing this story!It was a beautiful ride. 

Waiting On Wednesday #12 : THINGS WE KNOW BY HEART by Jessi Kirby

THINGS WE KNOW BY HEART 
by Jessi Kirby



Publication Date : April 21st 2015
Publisher : HarperTeen
Genre : Young Adult / Contemporary
Available To Pre-Order : Amazon UK



When Quinn Sullivan meets the recipient of her boyfriend’s donated heart, the two form an unexpected connection.

After Quinn loses her boyfriend, Trent, in an accident their junior year, she reaches out to the recipients of his donated organs in hopes of picking up the pieces of her now-unrecognizable life. She hears back from some of them, but the person who received Trent’s heart has remained silent. The essence of a person, she has always believed, is in the heart. If she finds Trent’s, then maybe she can have peace once and for all. 

Risking everything in order to finally lay her memories to rest, Quinn goes outside the system to track down nineteen-year-old Colton Thomas—a guy whose life has been forever changed by this priceless gift. But what starts as an accidental run-in quickly develops into more, sparking an undeniable attraction. She doesn't want to give in to it—especially since he has no idea how they're connected—but their time together has made Quinn feel alive again. No matter how hard she’s falling for Colton, each beat of his heart reminds her of all she’s lost…and all that remains at stake.

*****

I love the YA adult contemporary genre. It is my favourite to read. But this one just caught my attention and wouldn't let go. The plot of the story is so unique and realistic that I cannot wait to put my hands on this book. It is a definite buy for my collection. 

What are you waiting for this Wednesday? 

**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, 

that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**

John Green : PAPER TOWNS

Warning! Prepare yourself to catch a travelling fever!

PAPER TOWNS is a contemporary YA novel written by the king of contemporary young adult genre himself. . He melted the hearts all over the world with his amazing, but heart-shattering novel The Fault in Our Stars and now I am reaching for another story from his pen. Yes, I am talking about the one and only - MR JOHN GREEN.


I have a whole collection of John Green's novel. As a big fan of the YA genre, I am kinda required to own his full collection, otherwise I wouldn't be able to call myself a YA reader. So far, I've read Let It Snow, The Fault in Our Starts & The Abundance of Katherines. I have been meaning to read Paper Towns for quite some time, but the release of the film adaptation is coming closer, the trailer has been finally posted online for the world to see, so I have decided to give up and finally find out what is this story about.

*****

'The thing about Margo Roth Spiegelman is that really all I could ever do was let her talk, and then when she stopped talking encourage her to go on, due to the facts that 1. I was incontestably in love with her, and 2. She was absolutely unprecedented in every way, and 3. she never really asked me any questions...'

Quentin Jacobson has always loved Margo from afar. So when she climbs through his window to summon him on all-night road trip of revenge he cannot help but follow. But the next morning, Q turns up at school and Margo doesn't. She's left clues to her disappearance, like a trail of breadcrumbs for Q to follow. And everything leads to one unavoidable question: WHO IS THE REAL MARGO?

*****

Firstly, let's talk about the edition of the book. I own the paperback edition published in 2013. 305 pages, divided into 3 parts : THE STRINGS, THE GRASS & THE VESSEL. The cover of the book has an illustration of Orlando in black and white on a dark blue background. Red writing announcing the title of the book - PAPER TOWNS. Beautiful and mesmerising.

The writing is very modern, easy to read, entertaining and very relate able. I was hooked on the story straight from the first page. I really liked the fact that the story was written from Q's point of view. It was one of the first books from a guy's point of view I truly enjoy reading. I even managed to empathised with him. Or maybe, on some levels, I even found a little bits of me in him. Another fact I have enjoyed was how the story was divided into 3 different parts.


THE STRINGS introduces us to the relationship between Margo and Q. I love the crazy night these two spent together. The daring things they did together are inspiring. And adventurous. It is one of those nights which will change your life forever. THE GRASS then describes the story after Margo disappears and Q's frantic,  looking for clues she left for him. And that takes us to THE VESSEL. 24 hours drive to a literary town with one inhabitant - Margo. The story is different to other I have read. I love how while Quentin is searching for Margo, he starts to find himself. What he really wants and who he truly is. It's a beautiful love story with an ending I truly did not expect.

Margo is one of the most complicated characters I have ever managed to meet. She is an introverted explorer who doesn't really want to show the world who she truly is. She is desperate for some attention from the people who supposed to love her - her parents. And Q? Quentin is a hopeless romantic who fell in love with the wrong girl. She is too different. They have nothing in common. They are not meant to be. But that doesn't stop him to look for her. He doesn't lose hope and he still wants her back with him. Maybe this time, it will be different. Maybe she realises how much he truly loves her. Their relationship is complicated. They haven't talk at all in recent years. But when a chance to spend night with the girl he loves arises, he grabs it with both hands. And when the girl leaves him, he does everything he can to find her and bring her back. That's how strong his love is.


All in all, I enjoyed reading the story. I think I even prefer to The Fault in Our Stars. Yes, TFIOS was heart-breaking and unique, but this story was closer to my heart. Because we all, at certain point in our lives, are trying to find out who we truly are and what makes us happy. And that is the reason why I love this story that little bit more.

So thank you Mr Green for this wonderful story, I cannot wait to see on the big screen. But in the meantime, at least here is a little preview before the film adaptation of the book comes out. Here over the pond in UK we have to wait a little longer that our American friends. PAPER TOWNS is due to be released on August 21st 2015.

Waiting On Wednesday #11 : THE BOY MOST LIKELY TO by Huntley Fitzpatrick

THE BOY MOST LIKELY TO
by Huntley Fitzpatrick


Publication Date : August 18th 2015
Publisher : Penguin-Dial for Young Readers
Genre : Young Adult / Contemporary / Romance
Available To Pre-Order : Amazon UK


Tim Mason was The Boy Most Likely To:
- find the liquor cabinet blindfolded
- need a liver transplant
- drive his car into a house

Alice Garrett was The Girl Most Likely To:
- well, not date her little brother’s baggage-burdened best friend, for starters.

For Tim, it wouldn’t be smart to fall for Alice. For Alice, nothing could be scarier than falling for Tim. But Tim has never been known for making the smart choice, and Alice is starting to wonder if the “smart” choice is always the right one. When these two crash into each other, they crash hard. 

Then the unexpected consequences of Tim’s wild days come back to shock him. He finds himself in a situation that isn’t all it appears to be, that he never could have predicted . . . but maybe should have.

And Alice is caught in the middle. 

Told in Tim’s and Alice’s distinctive, disarming, entirely compelling voices, this return to the world of My Life Next Door is a story about failing first, trying again, and having to decide whether to risk it all once more.

*****

Huntley Fitzpatrick has taken over our hearts with her debut novel My Life Next Door. Since then she has been reigning in her success and writing more stories from my favourite genre - contemporary YA. This book is no exception and I cannot wait to add into my collection. 

What are you waiting for this Wednesday? 

**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, 

that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**

Kasie West : THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US

Warning! If you are a fan of contemporary YA genre, this book is a MUST READ for you! And box of tissues is recommended.

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US is a contemporary YA novel written by the lovely and very talented Kasie West.


This is the first West's novel I have read. I have had this book on my wish list for quite some time, but I only got thanks to the Books'n'Bloggers book swap I took part in earlier this year. My swap partner was kind enough to purchase and send this book to me. And what a great present it turned out to be!!

*****

Money can't buy a good first impression. Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers learned early that the rich are not to be trusted. And after years of studying them from behind the cash register of her mom's porcelain-doll shop, she has seen nothing to prove otherwise. Enter Xander Spence - he's tall, handsome, and oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and the fact that he seems to be one of the first people who actually gets her, she's smart enough to know his interest won't last. Because if there's one thing she's learned from her mother's warnings, it's that the rich have a short attention span. But just when Xander's loyalty and attentiveness are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn't a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she'd ever realised. With so many obstacles standing in their way, can she close the distance between them?

*****

Let's talk about the edition first. I own the paperback edition (I am not sure if they even brought out a hardback edition.). There is a gorgeous photograph of a girl and a boy standing next to a sports car. I assume this is Caymen and Xander. The title is written in white bold lettering. I love the design. It's quirky and romantic at the same time. 312 pages. 41 chapters. What a wonderful edition. I love the indie vibe.


I absolutely love the way this book is written. Straight from the start I have been taken by the humour and sarcasm used in the dialogue. It's how I talk to my friends and how my friends talk to me so I could relate to it in so many ways. Not only this book is funny, but it's also smart, heart-breaking, sad and so so romantic. It's the ideal food for every hopeless romantic heart and soul. So won't be able to help yourself. You will fall in love with this book straight from the start. I was the same way. I couldn't put the book down.

The story itself is beautiful. It wraps around you like a blanket. It's like eating your favourite food. It comforts you. It gives you hope and let's you dream. It restores the trust in love and forgiveness.

The main characters are relate able to many of us. Well at least in character qualities more than wealth. The interaction between Caymen and Xander is adorable. They are so cute and flirty. I love the little things Xander does for Caymen. The hot chocolate every morning. The french food when he thinks that she might be hungry. He takes her even to a science lab - on a private plane!! Squeeek!!! Cuteness alert!!



I love the way the author approached the subject of finding yourself. Even though Carmen and Xander come from different backgrounds, they have the same problem. They are expected to follow the family's routes. They have lived with that prediction their whole lives and therefore didn't have the opportunity to find out what or who they want to be. But they are trying to figure it out together. I found myself in Caymen's character so many times. Her thoughts, her feelings.. Everything is so close to my heart. And Xander, even though he has more money that you can imagine, is just a lost young man. I think many guys can find similarities with his character. Not to mentioned, their relationships with their parents... This what makes the book real. True feelings. True thought process. It's so so so relate able on so many levels.



Actually, I don't think there is anything bad I can say about this book. Everything about it is perfect. I love the storyline, loved the writing and hilarious dialogues, I adored the interaction between every single character.. Kasie West wrote one great romantic contemporary YA novel. Every page is filled with wonderful words you cannot help but love.








So Thank you Kasie West. You got yourself a brand new fan. I cannot wait to put my hands on ON THE FENCE & THE FILL-IN BOYFRIEND. I have a feeling that I have only just started my collection of  your books.

Quotes: 

“You two are the most in-love not-dating people I’ve met.” 

“Sometimes it's the little things that bring that special someone back to us in some small way.”

“A lot of people don’t get my humor. My mom calls it dry humor. I think that means “not funny,” but it also means I’m the only one who ever knows it’s a joke.” 

“I wonder why some people seem to be born knowing what they want to do with their lives and others - mostly me - have no idea.”

“Sometimes it's hard for me to start something because I'd rather not try at all than fail at it” 

“Feelings can be the most costly thing in the universe.” 

“This is me facing failure. This is me putting everything on the line even though I know I might lose. And I'm terrified. But like you said, anything worth having is worth the risk.” 

“Hi, I’m stranger one and this is stranger two. Are you uncomfortable yet?”

“I think unhappiness comes from unfulfilled expectations.” 

“Not the “be yourself” line. I loathe that line. As if Myself and Tic have met before and gotten along, so all I have to do is make sure Myself is there this time. So illogical.” 

Carpe Librum Girl TBR PILE CHALLENGE 2015 - 1st Wrap Up

You all know me and Sara from carpelibrumgirl.blogspot.co.uk  become very fast and good friends last year. Together, we collaborated on #ZCbookclub, a monthly book club on Instagram. So when Sara came up with a TBR PILE CHALLENGE for this year, of course, I was one of the first one to sign up. 

It's easy. Every avid reader can join. As long as you love books as much as we do, as long as you have an IG, tumblr, Facebook, blog, Twitter... (or any other form of social networking account) you can join. 

I challenged myself to read  50+ books - SO I WILL BE MARRIED TO MY TBR PILE. Not only I will be able to go through many books on my TBR list, but that means more book reviews and more posts for you, my lovely readers. 

I think I have been doing quite well so far.. But here is a little reminder of what books read throughout JANUARY & FEBRUARY this year. 

JANUARY 

THE ONE by Kiera Cass

SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE by Morgan Matson

ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER by Stephanie Perkins

THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT by Jennifer E. Smith

WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Forman

THE REASON I JUMP by Naoki Higashida

THE KISS OF DECEPTION by Mary E. Pearson

THE VINTAGE GIRL by Hester Browne

FEBRUARY

A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE by Kody Keplinger

DREAMLESS by Josephine Angelini

GODDESS by Josephine Angelini

THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE by Leila Sales

TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE by Jenny Han

FAMOUS IN LOVE by Rebecca Serle

LOCKED by Parker Witter

WHERE RAINBOWS END by Cecelia Ahern 

ADORKABLE by Sarra Manning

How are you doing with this challenge? If you want to know more info, click on the following link : 

CL TBR PILE CHALLENGE 2015

HAPPY READING EVERYONE !!!! 

APRIL READING CHALLENGE

HAPPY APRIL EVERYONE!!

I cannot believe, but the fourth month, April, of 2015 is already here!! Time flies when you are having fun. And fun I have been having!! I have been reading so many wonderful stories! And the best part? There is more of them to come this month. 

Not only, I have a great TBR LIST prepared for you and me (and this month it's all about the colour blue!), but I am finally acting upon another New Year's Resolution of mine - I have some trips abroad planned and I cannot wait to take my books and iPhone with so I can share with you all the wonderful adventures. 

But, let's stop talking. Let's start reading! Here is this month's TBR list and it's packed with wonderful stories. 7 stories. 7 new adventures. I CAN'T WAIT !!! 

*****

APRIL READING CHALLENGE 

PAPER TOWNS by John Green

The thing about Margo Roth Spiegelman is that really all I could ever do was let her talk, and then when she stopped talking encourage her to go on, due to the facts that 1. I was incontestably in love with her, 2. She was absolutely unprecedented in every way, and 3. She never really asked me any questions...

Quentin Jacobson has always loved Margo from afar. So when she climbs through his window to summon him on an all-night road trip of revenge he cannot help but follow. But the next morning, Q turns up at school and Margo doesn't. She's left clues to her disappearance, like a trail of breadcrumbs for Q to follow. And everything leads to one unavoidable question : WHO IS THE REAL MARGO?

THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson

I'm supposed to be grieving, not falling in love...

Lennie Walker, seventeen, Wuthering Heights obsessed, clarinet player, bank geek. Also hopeless romantic, prone to scattering poems all over town and as of four weeks ago, sister less ... 

A heart-breaking, heart-lifting, utterly compelling and completely unforgettable novel about first love and first loss. 

ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES by Jennifer Niven

Theodore Finch wants to take his own life. Violet Markey is devastated by her sister's death. They meet on the ledge of the school bell tower, and so their story begins. It's only together they can be themselves... But, as Violet's world grows, Finch's begins to shrink. How far will Violet go to save the boy she has come to love?

LOUDER THAN WORDS by Laura Jarratt

I can't speak the truth, but I can write it. Words on a page... they're beautiful, powerful. Words in my mouth... They don't work. They choke up inside me and won't come out. My pen has a freedom my mouth has never had. The last person I spoke to was my brother, Silas, and I was six. Since then, not a word. Silas says he'd give anything to hear me speak again. Now I sit here and think the same thing about him. 

THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING by Robyn Schneider 

Ezra Faulkner was supposed to be homecoming king, but that was before - before his girlfriend cheated on him, before a card accident shattered his leg, and before he fell in love with new girl Cassidy Thorpe. 

THE GEOGRAPHY OF YOU AND ME by Jennifer E. Smith

Owen lives in the basement. Lucy lives on the 24th floor. But when the power goes out in the midst of a New York heatwave, they find themselves together for the first time: stuck in a lift between the 10th and 11th floors. As they await help, they start talking... The brief time they spend together leaves a mark. And as their lives take them to Edinburgh and San Francisco, to Prague and to Portland they can't shake the memory of the time they shared. Postcards cross the globe when they themselves can't, as Owen and Lucy experience the joy - and pain - of first love. And as they make their separate journeys in search of home, they discover that sometimes it is a person rather than a place that anchors you most in the world. 

GIRL ONLINE by Zoe Sugg

Penny has a secret. Under the alias Girl Online, penny blogs her hidden feelings about friendship, boys, her crazy family and the panic attacks that have begun to take over her life. When things go from bad to worse, her family whisks her away to New York, where she meets Noah: a gorgeous, guitar-strumming American. Suddenly Penny is falling in love - and capturing every moment of it on her blog. But Noah has a secret too. One that threatens to ruin Penny's cover - and her closest friendship - forever. 


*****


What is on your TBR list this month? Let me know, maybe I get inspired for my future readings !! Have a great April everyone!! xoxo

Waiting On Wednesday #10 : THE HEIR by Kiera Cass

THE HEIR

by Kiera Cass

Publication Date : May 5th 2015

Publisher : HarperTeen

Genre : Young Adult / Romance / Fantasy

Available To Pre-Order : Amazon UK

Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won Prince Maxon’s heart. Now the time has come for Princess Eadlyn to hold a Selection of her own. Eadlyn doesn’t expect her Selection to be anything like her parents’ fairy-tale love story. But as the competition begins, she may discover that finding her own happily ever after isn’t as impossible as she always thought.

*****

You all know how much I loved The Selection series so far. It managed to surprise me in a good way. I wasn't expected to fall in love with the written billionaire bachelor type of story, but I did. And I can't wait to read more from Maxon & America's life. What what has happened after The Selection!

What are you waiting for this Wednesday? 

**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, 

that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**