Book Review: Second Chance Summer by: Morgan Matson.

Title: Second Chance Summer

Author: Morgan Matson

Release Date: May 8 2012

Publisher: Simon & Schuster's Children's Publishing
Page Count: 468

Source: Bought

Rating: ★★★★ 

Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.

Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.

As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love. -GoodReads 

I was really apprehensive when I picked up this book because I knew that dad was going to die at the end, don’t look at me like that… its says it in the blurb on the back of the book, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read something that made me really sad. I am a very emotional person who cried whenever she saw promos of when Pam and Jim got married on The Office, still do actually. So I had a friend of mine read it first to test the waters. Now ladies and gentlemen, my friend Rachel is a self-diagnosed sociopath, meaning she has zero feelings like a Vulcan, and this book made her get teary eyed. She is however a daddy’s girl and I feel like that should be said.

I felt a lot of emotions with this book. I felt annoyed with Taylor every time she tried to run away. I felt annoyed with Henry at first because he was a big meany head. I felt a since of nostalgia whenever they would do the flashbacks to the last summer at the lake. But mostly I felt sad because the Edwards family didn’t function as a family but more as acquaintances living in the same house. I think my favorite part of the book was watching Taylor’s relationships with her siblings bloom. It sounds cheesy but it really warmed my heart. That and Warren and the girl from the Pet Store. So adorable.

Book Review: Matched by: Allie Condie.

Title: Matched

Author: Allie Condie

Release Date: November 30 2010

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Page Count: 369

Source: Bought

Rating: ★★★★ 

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow. -GoodReads 

How would you feel if in the blink of a computer screen, your best friend, whom you’ve had a crush on your whole life, was suddenly that was chosen for you to spend the rest of your life with? This is Cassia’s life after her Matching Ceremony on seventeenth birthday. This should be the happiest day of her life but for Cassia it’s a little anticlimactic. While all of her friends are learning things about their Matches via the microchip they’ve been given Cassia is hesitant, feeling like she knows everything about Xander already. Little does she know that a single face and “glitch” in the microchip will change her world as she knows it.

Cassia to me was a little boring, almost like a Stepford Wife, in the beginning. She did everything she was told and was the Society’s biggest supporter. She believes in this system that to her knowledge works. Her parents are happy. Her and her family are healthy, what the Society is doing is a good thing. It isn’t until she sees Ky on the microchip, that I was intrigued by the bravery in her. Ky brings out a strong, rebellious side of Cassia, that I didn’t think was coming.

Book Review: The Reece Malcolm List by: Amy Spalding.

Title: The Reece Malcolm List
Author: Amy Spalding
Release Date: February 5 2013
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Page Count: 352
Source: Bought
Rating: ★★★★ 

 Things I know about Reece Malcolm:

1. She graduated from New York University.
2. She lives in or near Los Angeles.
3. Since her first novel was released, she’s been on the New York Times bestseller list every week.
4. She likes strong coffee and bourbon.
5. She’s my mother.

Devan knows very little about Reece Malcolm, until the day her father dies and she’s shipped off to live with the mother she’s never met. All she has is a list of notebook entries that doesn’t add up to much.

L.A. offers a whole new world to Devan—a performing arts school allows her to pursue her passion for show choir and musicals, a new circle of friends helps to draw her out of her shell, and an intriguing boy opens up possibilities for her first love.

But then the Reece Malcolm list gets a surprising new entry. Now that Devan is so close to having it all, can she handle the possibility of losing everything? -GoodReads 

When Devan's dad dies and she moves in with her mom that she knows almost nothing about she's convinced that she isn't going to last. Having been so used to being invisible in all aspects of her life other than when shes on stage, she assumes she'll just slip into this new life undiscovered and without disrupting anything.

Devan is the perfect narrator. I felt as though she was telling me her story over coffee at Starbucks. The words are so natural and real. Devan is funny and incredibly relatable – despite the times I wanted to shake her a little bit. Watching her and Reece divulge into uncharted territory was endearing although a little awkward at times naturally.

Reece is one of my new favorite characters of all time. I think part of the reason why I enjoyed her so much is that she reminded me a lot of me. Quick temper, bad at keeping personal relationships, not too hung up on her appearance and addicted to caffeine… yep I can totally relate. Through all of the snarkiness and sass I could tell she really loved Devan and she was just trying to form a relationship with her.

Now let’s talk about Brad… say it with me now… SWOOOOOOOON!!! Seriously who wouldn’t fall in love with Brad? He’s adorable and BRITISH! I loved watching him and Reece interact – you could just tell that they were really in love and it was real despite Reece’s devil-may-care attitude. He accepted Devan immediately and ultimately became her knight in shining armor.

Precious. Absolutely adorable. I really enjoyed it.