When We Wake by Karen Healey

When We Wake
Author- Karen Healy
Publishing Date- March 5th, 2013
Little, Brown
304 pages
Received through ATW ARC Tours

My name is Tegan Oglietti, and on the last day of my first lifetime, I was so, so happy.

Sixteen-year-old Tegan is just like every other girl living in 2027--she's happiest when playing the guitar, she's falling in love for the first time, and she's joining her friends to protest the wrongs of the world: environmental collapse, social discrimination, and political injustice. But on what should have been the best day of Tegan's life, she dies--and wakes up a hundred years in the future, locked in a government facility with no idea what happened. Tegan is the first government guinea pig to be cryonically frozen and successfully revived, which makes her an instant celebrity--even though all she wants to do is try to rebuild some semblance of a normal life. But the future isn't all she hoped it would be, and when appalling secrets come to light, Tegan must make a choice: Does she keep her head down and survive, or fight for a better future?

 

I knew from the minute that I viewed this gorgeous cover on a tour site that I need to read this book. I mean, how could you pass up a cover as fantastic as this one? I love the clean lines and simplistic colors. I also love the cool frost that is shown on the cover models lips, eyes and eyebrows. Overall, this cover is definitely a winner for me.

This book reminded me quite a bit of Across the Universe, a book I read much earlier in 2012 and ended up loving!  In When We Wake, people who have chosen to donate their bodies to science upon death are cryonically frozen and preserved in hopes of being brought back in another era. Tegan, the main character, however, is the first ever person to ever fully awaken from her cryonic state.

I don't know what it was about Tegan, but I found her to be sort of bland and very dull. She was easy to relate to in the beginning of the book, but towards the end I ended up really disliking her. As a main character, I would have expected to like her much more than I actually did. She definitely was very unique and seemed to have a great layer to her that wasn't really seen much in the book.

Tegan's love interest, Abdi, was quite a different case though.. I really ended up loving Abdi. He was extremely like able and I looked forward to the parts of the story that featured him. He had an interesting life story and was very unique. I just wish that his partner could have been just like him!

The way When We Wake is written is in a very conversational manner. I felt like Tegan was always talking to me instead of narrating the story. I actually ended up really liking the conversational aspect of the book. It made the storyline flow and the pages just flew by.

Overall, I enjoyed When We Wake, but it definitely wouldn't be the first dystopian I would recommend to you. I think what really ended up killling it for me was the fact that Tegan was just so darn boring. Other than her, I really liked the other characters and the setting was really cool too!



 

Feature and Follow Friday (2)

 

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's Views and Alison Can Read

 

This weeks features are- Bookworm Brandee and Writer's Block

This weeks question is: Activity! Who do you want to be? If you could choose any character from a book. What do you think that character looks like and what do you have in common?

 

I would love to be Samantha Reed from My Life Next Door. I just fell in love with her and the Garrett family, so I would love to be in her position ;)

 

I have always imagined Samantha to look like Ashley Benson (Hanna from Pretty Little Liars)

 



What character would y'all choose to be?

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Meant to Be
Author- Lauren Morrill
Published- November 13th, 2012
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
304 pages
Recieved from ATW ARC Tours

Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question.

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").

But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.

Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.

Gosh darn! These contemporaries are just sucking me right in. I guess I have just had a secret yearning for romance for months now and now that I have time to read I am just gobbling them up! Meant To Be was no exception!

The first thing that struck me as funny when i went to pick this book up was the odd resemblance to Anna and the French Kiss, which I literally just finished reading! Both are about school and foreign countries and cute guys. In some ways I like that it was similar, but in others I think it may have been TOO similar.

I quite like the cover of this book. The colors are vibrant and I like the mixture between reality and cartoon like. I am also really fond of the font they chose. Overall, it is a very attractive cover in my opinion. It would no doubt look great on your bookshelf!

As far as the main characters go, they weren't really my cup of tea. I found Julia to be boring, wishy washy and just plain rude. I had a hard time connecting to her as a character. Jason was just okay. He definitely didn't have me swooning like Etienne did. I honestly feel like I didn't really get to know Jason all that well, even though he shares a large part of the book with Julia. The supporting characters were much the same. I honestly had no care for any of them.

As far a plot goes, I found this book to be slow. It didn't really suck me in like most contemporaries and it became more of a chore to read than a pleasurable activity. There wasn't really all that much going on in the story and I guess that is what made the plot monotonous.

Overall, I enjoyed Meant to Be, but I definitely don't feel like it is the best contemporary you could choose to read. The characters were bland and the storyline was slow and monotonous. If your are looking for the traveling + love angle, then I highly recommend Anna and the French Kiss!

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss
Author- Stephanie Perkins
Published- December 2nd, 2010
Dutton
372 pages
Obtained from PBS

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home. As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?

Oh my goodness! How in the world have I waited this long to dive into this book? People have been telling me for months how fantastic it is and I am so glad I picked it up!

I really like the cover of Anna. The colors are great and very attractive. I like how it shows a bit of her and Etienne (I am assuming) and ties in the setting as well. I will say that the cover model is a little too perfect looking. She isn't what I pictured Anna to look like at all. I think they could have used a quirkier girl. But, overall the cover is appealing to look at.

I loved loved loved the setting of this book. I have always wanted to go back to Europe, but most especially Paris! It sounds like such a gorgeous city and it served as a fantastic backdrop for the story. Reading about all of the landmarks made me want to visit!

Anna was a great character! She was unique and had a great personality. She had just enough turmoil in her life to make the book interesting and not burdening. I really liked the fact that her father was a Nicholas Sparks esque writer, especially because I love reading Sparks books!

And then there is Etienne. Pardon me a minute while I swoon. I don't see how anyone could NOT fall in love with Etienne St. Clair! Boys with rough backgrounds make the best guys to read about. He was unique as well and I could just picture his staggeringly great looks. The supporting characters were all great as well. They added a unique spice and twist to each part of the story.

The plot in Anna was quick and the story overall was extremely well written. I had a hard time putting the book down!

Overall, don't waste another minute of your life without reading this book! The story was fast and the characters were interesting. All I can say is READ THIS BOOK!

Feature and Follow Friday (1)

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's Views and Alison Can Read.

Hi everyone! Happy Friday! I hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving! I have decided to join the Feature and Follow Friday meme after debating for a while. I think it will be a great way to meet new people!

This week's features are Danny from Bewitched Bookworms and Julie from My 5 Monkeys

 

This weeks question is: What blog are you thankful for?

 

Gosh, this question is difficult! I am thankful for so many blogs. But most especially I am thankful for Keeping it Real With Lucy, My Not So Real Life, and Singing and Reading in the Rain for providing great friendship in the blogging world. It is great to have met people my age that share my interests!

 

What blogs are you thankful for?

 

 

 

Beta by Rachel Cohn

Beta
Author- Rachel Cohn
Published- October 16th, 2012
Disney Hyperion
304 pages
Received through SBB ARC Tours

Elysia is created in a laboratory, born as a sixteen-year-old girl, an empty vessel with no life experience to draw from. She is a Beta, an experimental model of a teenage clone. She was replicated from another teenage girl, who had to die in order for Elysia to exist.

Elysia's purpose is to serve the inhabitants of Demesne, an island paradise for the wealthiest people on earth. Everything about Demesne is bioengineered for perfection. Even the air induces a strange, euphoric high, which only the island's workers--soulless clones like Elysia--are immune to.

At first, Elysia's life is idyllic and pampered. But she soon sees that Demesne's human residents, who should want for nothing, yearn. But for what, exactly? She also comes to realize that beneath the island's flawless exterior, there is an under-current of discontent among Demesne's worker clones. She knows she is soulless and cannot feel and should not care--so why are overpowering sensations cloud-ing Elysia's mind?

If anyone discovers that Elysia isn't the unfeeling clone she must pretend to be, she will suffer a fate too terrible to imagine. When her one chance at happi-ness is ripped away with breathtaking cruelty, emotions she's always had but never understood are unleashed. As rage, terror, and desire threaten to overwhelm her, Elysia must find the will to survive.

The first in a dazzlingly original science fiction series from best-selling author Rachel Cohn, "Beta "is a haunting, unforgettable story of courage and love in a cor-rupted world.
 

I was actually pretty hesitant before starting this book. Most of the reviews I had seen were extremely negative. I try to not let others change what books I want to read, so I decided to try it out anyway. I am glad that I trusted my gut!

The thing that drew me towards this book more than anything else was the cover. Yes, I am a self professed cover snob. The font is very neat and sci-fi, and I feel absolutely mesmerized by the eyes of the cover model. Plus, this cover matches up with my rendition of Elysia almost exactly which I found pretty neat. And on top of that, the cover had this awesome sheen and smooth finish that was so neat to look at.

So, what was neat about this book was that it was set on this amazing island in the middle of the ocean. The island is modified to make occupants have a "high" feeling because of drugs pumped into the atmosphere. Everything about the island is perfect except for the fact that they have clones that they use like slaves. Clones are replica's of humans, except for the fact that they possess no soul which means they have no sense of feeling, taste and other factors of life.

Elysia was a really neat character. I found her easy to connect to and easy to sympathize with. She had this great, easy going nature and amazing romantic connection with a fellow Demesne inhabitant. I loved the fact that the entire story was told from her perspective so we heard every waking thought of hers.

Beta delved into some really tough topics, some of which were rape and slavery. Rape was a common occurrence in Beta. Clones were used as toys almost. No regard was made for them, but only what their owner wanted. It was definitely tough to read about, but the book brings a great awareness to the subject.

The end of Beta absolutely made the book for me. It was definitely an unexpected ending and it had a fantastic cliffhanger. No doubt about it, I cannot wait for book two!

Overall, I really enjoyed Beta. It was a unique book with a quick plot and fantastic ending! I would highly recommend it to all sci-fi/ dystopian lovers!

 

An Apology..

Hi guys! Long time, no see (or type if you want to be literal). I just wanted to come on here quickly and say that I am sorry. I'm sorry that I have neglected you guys for almost a month now. To say the least, school has been kicking my butt this year! I have been struggling to figure out the balance of it all AND keep my grades from slipping. Let's just say it hasn't been easy. But, I try to look on the positive side. There are only six weeks left in this semester and I am so grateful for that! I am nearing my Thanksgiving break and not too long after that I have my 2 and a half week Christmas break. That means more time to read and blog! I have been in such a reading slump and it is sad to admit that I have yet to read a book this month (though I am about 30 pages into Anna and the French Kiss). But that's okay! Life will go on and I know that y'all will always be super amazing and loyal even through my rough times. So thank you! Thank you for sticking with me and my (at times) disaster of a blog. It is wonderful to always know that I have you guys to talk to! And don't worry, I will start posting again soon. I actually have a review scheduled for Wednesday, so yay!