Hearts and Bruises by A.M. Brooks

5 EMOTIONAL Stars!! 

Holy..Shhh... WOW- First of all- THIS WAS A DEBUT!! and I am SHOOK. 

I hate that I loved this book so much. I hate the way I feel about toxic characters and the love I have for redemption. Many times I will start to read a character and automatically want to judge them- and then I have to put myself in their shoes- I try really hard to imagine what they have gone through or been through in order for them to have turned into whatever they have become. If I am being completely honest, its way easier to do this with fictional characters than it is to do in real life. Clearly that shouldn't be the case- :P But I usually try to find the good, as little as it may be in the beginning, in every character. Its just something about seeing character growth in someone and seeing how far they have come that just makes me happy!! 

This book broke my heart. I cant explain my feelings about it really well. It messed me up pretty good. MY EMOTIONS were all over the place. All that sounds terrible right? Yeah- but look, when I read, I want to feel, I want to be consumed, entertained and transported. Ya feel me? Well this one did it from the very start! 

The name of this book is Hearts and Bruises. If you are going to read this -

Clue #1 is in the title, this book wont be easy, or pretty all the time. Then read the synopsis. The author gives us a heads up- Like hey, this book may leave a mark because "with love comes pain and with pain comes scars". YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. But omgsh its so worth it. 

We follow Nora, who is in high school and ever since she lost her mom, she has been moving from place to place with her dad. They are on move #12 when they reach CA. Nora never expects to make friends so fast, or to meet Darrian King. The name King says it all!! Nora was everything - I wanted to shake her so much but I did love her!! Darrian well- You HATE to LOVE him. The writing was so amazing for being a debut Im still shook about that! It flowed effortlessly and consumed me! 

You will get mad, you will get sad and prepare to have your heart broke. If you are an easily triggered person this book may not be for you. You'll also probably will want to throw your kindle across the room... like I did :P But seriously- I was running right back to it and picking it right back up. This qualifies as book crack for me. I did not want to put it down and read it in one sitting. So if you are a fan of the following books:

After Series by Anna Todd 

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Fallen Crest Series by Tijan

Bully by Penelope Douglas 

Nero (Made Men Series) by Sarah Brianne 

The Royals Series by Erin Watt

I am pretty sure you will have a hard time putting this one down as well!! I am not comparing this book to those- this one totally holds its own. But I know that if you liked those, and they wrecked your heart like they did mine, then - Hearts and Bruises is for YOU!! If you read it, please come back LETS TALK ABOUT IT!! Happy Reading!! 

Thank you to netgalley for this arc. Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Bet Between Us by, B.L. Moore

3.5 Stars!!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First off - its not everyday I read a debut YA romance book by a male author told from a male POV. I think for that alone-Moore gets major props. As a reader- I feel we need to see more of this!!



This book is what you would expect from a teen/young adult realistic romance book. Secondly- can we talk about the cover??? Its Gorgeous!!



In The Bet Between Us, we follow Donald - AKA Don Juan. He gets the nickname by basically being a player and going from one girl to the next. He is very competitive and likes to make wagers for fun and of course, for the money. His friends convince him to take a bet to get the girl- Alaina, who despises him- to fall in love with him. What he is not expecting, is the feelings he's always secretly had for her, to show.

For a debut, I thought this was great. It was fun, and entertaining. I liked the authors writing style and the dialogue. I absolutely did not like DJ in the beginning of this book! He was basically a manwhore and all about himself. BUT- I am a huge fan of redeemable characters, those that start off so horrible that totally make you feel like you are reading a totally different character when they begin to change. We see a lot of character growth from him over the course of the book - that in turn-makes him redeemable.



The only issues I had with it was the chemistry between the two main characters, while I liked Alaina, I didn't feel like I got to know her very well, so the connection between her and DJ fell a little short for me. It also was a little predictable but it did not take away from my overall feelings of the book as a whole. I would love to see Moore continue to write more stories like this in this genre! I thought it was a fantastic debut- and I look forward to more books by this author!!

Letters to the Lost by, Brigid Kemmerer

5 Stars!!
“We're all united by grief, and somehow divided by the same thing.”

In Letters to the Lost, we follow Juliet and Declan. Juliet lost her mother in a hit and run accident. To cope, she starts to write letters to her by leaving them on her grave. Declan is also familiar with tragedy. One day while working community service at the Graveyard, he stumbles across a letter on a grave. He reads it and realizes he can relate- So he decides to respond to this letter with only two words- "Me Too." This starts the beginning of something more than just correspondence. It opens a gateway to healing, and leads them down the road to answers they both desperately crave.

Not exactly sure what I was expecting- I knew this was going to be a book about letters sent- but no idea to who, or why. Lets just say my heart wasn't ready!! This book was dark, deep, painful, and hopeful! Hits you right in the belly of feels.



I am pretty sure I felt every emotion- In tone- this is a very serious book. Its Ya and I love how the teenagers are represented. Their thoughts are on point. I feel that the writing was fantastic and had a true voice. It flowed smoothly and the pace was perfection. I didn't want to put it down.

The letters that were written were so thought provoking- deep and heartfelt. You feel the pain and anguish of each character which allows you to immediately connect with them. There are lots of themes going on in this book like friendship, betrayal, loss, bullying, healing. It will yank your chain- pinky promise!!



My favorite part of the book is the anonymity. Something about not knowing who you are writing to, allows one to open up completely. Their feelings are raw and really pack a punch.

“Do you believe in fate? Sometimes I want to. I want to believe that we all walk some path toward… something, and our paths intertwine for a reason. Like this, the way we’ve found each other. The way you told me the right story when I so desperately needed to hear it.”

I keep talking about the feelings- there are happy feelings too so its not all dark and depressing. We truly get to see these characters connect and go through a process. It does have a HEA- so you will finish with a huge smile on your face - so don't be scared to pick it up! Its well worth it :P

The Knife of Never Letting Go by, Patrick Ness

4 Stars!!
“But a knife ain't just a thing, is it? It's a choice, it's something you do. A knife says yes or no, cut or not, die or don't. A knife takes a decision out of your hand and puts it in the world and it never goes back again. ”

I honestly have zero idea where to start with this one ya'll!! It was something of a mystery from the moment I opened the book. I only picked this one up because there are making a film adaptation of it. So needless to say when I started it, my eyes were like ,.....



Because the writing is so extremely unique, and it took some getting used to. This book will not be for everyone- but if you can make it through it, kudos!! Yeah- its like that !

So we follow a boy Todd, who is the only boy in a town full of men. A long time ago, the town he lives in was infected with a noise Germ, which means - he can hear the thoughts of the men- and the men can hear his thoughts as well. According to the laws of this town- Todd will become a man on his 13th birthday. In the midst of the noise, Todd feels his town is hiding something from him. He is forced to flee with his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. While on the run they stumble across a silent girl in the swamp. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? With Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a unique journey in which a boy, on the cusp of manhood, must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.

So at first, I thought this was just going to be a weird coming of age story about a boy and his dog. I was so very wrong. This was so much more! The Knife of Never Letting, is a deep and dark tale. Hitting on issues like, dehumanization and problems with colonization, loyalty and helplessness- slavery and racism. Its a thought provoking novel, happy, sad, and funny- it hits on pretty much every emotion there is! Gives you all the feels for sure.

Todd was a fantastic character.



He was raw and real and we not only get to hear his story but his thoughts. His dog- Manchee will go down as my absolute FAVORITE animal character EVER!! He reminded me so much of the dog from the movie UP.



The thing I liked about hearing the animals talk/thoughts is that - they sound exactly how animals should talk. Ness brings them to life just effortlessly. Viola is the girl in the story



and I thought she brought wisdom and just a totally different feel to the book so concentrated on thoughts/themes of men.

This book will take time to get into. There are so many spelling and grammatical errors- but it has a purpose in this book. The dialect is very different. But I encourage you to press on and try to get through it. I don't have much else to say about it because it really is one of those books you'll either love or hate, and one you have to read to truly grasp its meaning and underlying themes. Totally recommend it if you are looking for something completely different and RAW! I'm really looking forward to this film and seeing it come to life !!

Book Review - An Anonymous Girl by, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

4 Stars!! 

“People are motivated to break their moral compasses for a variety of primal reasons: survival, hate, love, envy, passion. And money.” 

Seeking women ages 18–32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed. 

Jessica is a make up artist working and living in New York struggling to make ends meet. She is on a job, when the client gets a call about a morality and ethics study that pays $500. The client, Taylor, tells Jessica she doesn't have time for the study-and is going to turn it down. Desperate to make extra cash- Jessica decides she will just show up to the study in Taylor's place. 

Jessica knows nothing other than its a study for ethics research- when she arrives she is dubbed "Subject 52." There are rules before she starts- they seem simple enough- Be open and truthful, and avoid any embarrassment or pain the questions provoke. Some questions she will have to answer are :
Question #1: Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?
Question #2: Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about?
Question #3: Should a punishment always fit the crime?

Dr. Shields, the psychiatrist - is monitoring Jessica, in another room, as she answers the questions. Dr. Shields is immediately drawn to subject 52- and asks her after two sessions if she is willing to sign on for an extended study and more money. What Jessica doesn't realize - is what this study may or may not personally Cost her. 

The characters in the book were written great. I loved the plot and the twists and turns that it produced. When I first started reading I was immediately hooked and invested. It was a total binge read for me. 

Thrillers are hard sometimes because I try sooo hard to figure them out before the end and most of the time I do. I didn't figure this one completely before it was over. The ending was the biggest issue I had with the book. I thought it was good just could have been a little more thought out- but other than that I didn't have any other issues with it and totally recommend it! 

Book Review - Vicious by, V.E.Schwab

3 Stars!! “Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.” I'm going to be a minority …. I liked this well enough, I just didn't love it. The writing was amazing - there is no doubt Schwab can write and come up with amazing plots. This just wasn't a favorite of mine. This book does raise an interesting question...what makes a hero and what makes a villain? As we read through the book, that's the main thing you will keep asking yourself. I didn't like really any of the characters in this book. Victor an Elli were both psycho.. but I'm pretty sure that's the point. Can you choose the better of two evils? Most people have already read this book, but if you haven't, I would still recommend this one! Just because it wasn't my favorite doesn't mean it wont be yours!

Book Review | FOUR DEAD QUEENS, by Astrid Scholte

3.5 🌟 Stars!!

“Sometimes failure is the beginning of success”

Keralie Corrington is a pickpocket who lives by the words "Get in quick, get out quicker." She works under the guidance of her mentor Mackiel, who runs a black market selling their bounty to buyers desperate for what they can’t get in their own quarter. For in the nation of Quadara, each quarter is strictly divided from the other. Four queens rule together, one from each region:

Toria: the intellectual quarter that values education and ambition
Ludia: the pleasure quarter that values celebration, passion, and entertainment
Archia: the agricultural quarter that values simplicity and nature
Eonia: the futurist quarter that values technology, stoicism and harmonious community

When Keralie steals a comm disk coming from Varin Bollt, then everything goes wrong. When she watches the comms - Keralie sees the murders of all four queens. Hoping that discovering the intended recipient will reveal the culprit – Keralie ends up teaming up with Varin, to complete his original job and see where it takes them.

I enjoyed this read. At first it was a lot of information and I felt a little overwhelmed- but after about the 20 percent mark, things started to pick up and it was action packed until the end. There was a little world building in the beginning but not really a whole lot. The plot was not at all what I was expecting.

Four Dead Queens is very unique - and is not like anything I have ever read when dealing with Kingdoms. There is a lot of use of tech and it had a bit of a Sci-Fi feel, which was what made it seem different. The characters were well rounded, but I just could not really connect to any of them. There is a M/F and F/F romance as well and sadly I could not get a grasp on either one. Something was missing... I thought the story line was good and the twists and turns were fun to read. I do recommend it for its uniqueness-and do believe its worth reading, just nothing really over the top and it was just an ok read for me.