Book Review: The Thing About the Truth by Lauren Barnholdt

The Thing About the Truth

By Lauren Barnholdt 

Release Date: July 10, 2012

Source: Library

Summary: In this humorous love story from the author of Two-Way Street, an unlikely romance is the best sort of surprise—but the wrong secret can ruin everything. Kelsey’s not going to let one mistake ruin her life. Sure, she got kicked out of prep school and all her old friends are shutting her out. But Kelsey’s focused on her future, and she’s determined to get back on track at Concordia High.

Isaac’s been kicked out of more schools than he can count. Since his father’s a state senator, Isaac’s life is under constant scrutiny—but Concordia High’s his last stop before boarding school, so Isaac’s hoping to fly under the radar and try to stay put for a change.

When Kelsey and Isaac meet, it’s anything but love at first sight. She thinks he’s an entitled brat, and he thinks she’s a stuck-up snob. So it surprises them both when they start to fall for each other. Kelsey’s happy for the first time in months, and Isaac’s never felt this way about anyone before...But nothing’s ever completely perfect. Everyone has secrets, and Isaac and Kelsey are no exceptions. These two may have fallen hard, but there’s one thing that can ruin it all: the truth.

Review: Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt is one of my favorite books (I've read it multiple times, which is so rare for me), so I had really high hopes for this one. I'm so happy that Lauren was able to create yet another great contemporary novel that kept me reading that I couldn't stop until the end!

The main reason I loved about this book was the writing style. The book starts out in the future where Kelsey and Isaac are in trouble and seem to hate each other. We haven't seen how they met, how they got together, or what happened to make their entire relationship blow up in their faces, but we do know that things don't turn out well. Then, the story switches between Kelsey and Isaac in the "Before" chapters of their lives and the "Aftermath" chapters. Things are slowly pieced together, but what you still don't know is what exactly Kelsey did to make Isaac so mad and guarded around her in the Aftermath time. This mystery and drama trap your intrigue and attention until you finally figure out the truth. 

The other reason I loved this book was the characters. Kelsey and Isaac were both kicked out of their past schools, which means they both have secret filled pasts and strained family lives. The thing I loved about Kelsey's character is her love for romance novels. Maybe it's because i can relate to her a lot on this part, but she connects moments of her life to the books she's reading and reads no matter what people think of her. And I loved how she was super guarded when it came to trusting Isaac when he first showed interest in her. She wasn't the typical cliche girl who fell for the first hot guy that paid attention to her and they immediately clicked. Kelsey made Isaac work for her attention and Isaac wasn't about to give up on her. 

The entire journey of this book was so good and I loved reading about Kelsey and Isaac's journey to falling for each other while opening up some secrets about each other. Not only did I love the two of them, but their friends were so quirky and awesome too! Everything about this book was awesome and I wish it wasn't over! Lauren Barnholdt brings yet another great YA novel about love and how the truth always comes out in the end.

Weekly Roundup [8/7-8/13]

Another week has gone by and that means more awesome books have been read and reviewed here on Peace Love Books! Hopefully this week can be as great because I'm moving back to school on Saturday!! Woo hoo! But I still have the entire week to dedicate to reading before my life gets crazy again! It was a great week and here's all that went on! 

Book Reviews

Flirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson

Return of the Dragon Riders by Kristian Alva

Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Whispers in Autumn by Trisha Leigh

Memes

Waiting on Wednesday

Follow My Book Blog Friday

Stacking the Shelves (14)

Book Review: Whispers in Autumn by Trisha Leigh

Whispers in Autumn

By Trisha Leigh

Release Date: July 24, 2012

Source: Author

Summary: In 2015, a race of alien Others conquered Earth. They enslaved humanity not by force, but through an aggressive mind control that turned people into contented, unquestioning robots. 

Except sixteen-year-old Althea isn’t content at all, and she doesn’t need the mysterious note inside her locket to tell her she’s Something Else. It also warns her to trust no one, so she hides the pieces that make her different, even though it means being alone. 

The autumn she meets Lucas, everything changes. 

Althea and Lucas are immune to the alien mind control, and together they search for the reason why. What they uncover is a stunning truth the Others never anticipated, one with the potential to free the brainwashed human race. 

It’s not who they are that makes them special, but what.

And what they are is a threat. One the Others are determined to eliminate for good.
Review: I had never heard of this book until the author contacted me for a review. I read the summary and thought that it sounded like a fun read, so I was like why not? I had no idea I was in for an amazing story that just wouldn't let me go until I was done!

Althea switches bodies throughout the seasons, but she's never been to summer before. Each season brings her to one of her three families to live a synchronized, content life that everyone else in her country lives. They go to school at the same time, get home at the same time, and watch the same programs every night. The only emotion people feel is contentment, perfectly fine following the orders of the Others. But Althea can feel more than that, and she can't trust anyone. With strange powers that involve heat and fire, Althea has no idea what she is and if she can trust the Others. When she meets Lucas, she knows there's something different about him, but could there possibly be someone out there just like her? 

There was such a good storyline in this books (kind of like a mix between Divergent, Hunger Games, The Giver, and Uglies) and I could not stop reading it! There's mystery, action, and a little bit of romance (which we all know I love!) so there's something for everyone! Althea is a great, strong main character and Lucas is the perfect counterpart. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book because I was just dying to know what would happen to Lucas and Althea. And to figure out about their pasts! There's enough mystery to keep you interested, but not too much to make you annoyed, so it was perfect! I'm really excited for the next book to come out so I can see what happens next to Althea and Lucas! If you love a good Dystopian novel, then Whispers in Autumn is absolutely perfect for you!

Stacking the Shelves (14)

Stacking the Shelves is a new meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where bloggers share what they got throughout the week!

From the library

 

This is my last week at home before I leave for school, so I took out a bunch of books I really want to read this week before I leave! I've heard awesome things about Possession, so I'm excited to read that one! Changeling and The Thing About the Truth both look and sound like great reads, so I hope they don't disappoint. Ah, and Fifty Shades Darker. I read the first one and was kind of disappointed in it, but I've heard the second one is MUCH better. I hope it is because I'm giving it a chance! So I'd say I have a great week of books ahead of me! Hopefully I can get through them all before I head back to school! 

And that's all I got! What did you all add to your shelves this week? Please share! 

Book Review: Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Slammed

By Colleen Hoover

Release Date: January 5, 2012

Source: Borrowed from sister

Summary: Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope. 

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart. 


Review: I had never heard of this book until my sister told me she bought it for her nook and absolutely loved it. I don't really keep up with ebooks, so I didn't really know what to expect when she lent me her copy on my nook. And you know what? This book was awesome!

Layken moves to Michigan with her mom and brother after her father had died. When she first moves in, Layken can't help but notice her cute new neighbor Will who lives across the street. When her little brother becomes best friends with his little brother, Layken and Will spend more and more time together. But there's a secret that niether of them are expecting, making their relationship seem almost impossible. 

I loved everything about this book, from Layken's relationship with her family to her relationship with WIll. There are suprises around every corner and they make this book so good! I knew those surprises beforehand because my sister told me without realizing that I would read it next...but if you don't know what will happen this book sure is a trip! And I absolutely LOVED the poetry part of it. Layken and Will go to poetry nights at a bar, hence the name "Slammed." It's such a fun twist on a story that any English lover is bound to enjoy! 

Overall, Slammed was a fantastic contemporary romance novel that you can't help but fall in love with! The storyline is so original and deals with real trials and emotions. Once you start this book, you won't want to put it down! I devoured it in one sitting and can't wait to get my hands on the second one! I want more of Will and Layken! Now! But in the meantime, all of you should read this one so that you can understand exactly what I'm talking about :)

Follow My Book Blog Friday (50)

This is a meme hosted every Friday by Parajunkee, where book bloggers answer a question each week and check out how others answered it. It's a cool way for bloggers and viewers to connect and learn more about each other!

Question: What would you do if you were to start your blog from scratch again? 

Answer: Hmmm I actually haven't even thought of that before! I would probably just not accept so many review requests of books I'm not really into. There's nothing worse than reading a book you don't enjoy, but when it's for review you can't really give up after two chapters. So I would definitely change that. Other than that, I've loved my whole journey that has brought me to this point and I wouldn't change it at all :) 

Book Review: Return of the Dragon Riders by Kristian Alva

Return of the Dragon Riders

By Kristian Alva

Release Date: September 30, 2012

Source: Author

Summary: The emperor Vosper gathers his troops in the east, poised to conquer the entire continent. His target is the rebel city of Parthos,the last sanctuary of the Dragon Riders. 

Besieged from all sides, the remaining Dragon Riders come out of hiding. Forced to fight for their lives, they leave the safety of the desert, traveling across the land to gather intelligence and shore up forgotten alliances.

At the center of it all is Elias Dorgumir, an untrained mageborn teenager. Elias is the key to an ancient prophesy, and Vosper will do anything to get his hands on him. Is it too late for the Dragon Riders to save Elias and stop Vosper from destroying the only refuge they have left?
Review: I read the first book of this series last summer and really enjoyed the story, so when I saw that the author had released the other two without me even realizing it, I knew that I had to read them! I'm so happy to say that the story was just as interesting and left me yet again yearning for me!

I normally don't read fantasy, but there's something about this series that is so good! Elias is still on the run from the emperor while the few remaining dragon riders go out to find him to try and save the innocent people the emperor is threatening to destroy. Elias finally gets his dragon egg but has no idea how much power he can have. The other dragon riders are banding together to try and find Elias because he's the only one who can stop the emperor before he destroys everything. 

In this book, so much happens and I couldn't wait to see what obstacle would come next. The relationships with the dragons and the riders is really cool and I love how new dragons and possible riders are brought into the picture. More about their past lives are explained and new secrets are revealed! The first book was definitely used to set up for this book, so I'm so glad that this book was worth the wait!

Kirstian Alva creates a whole new world with magic, dragons, and evil villains that create a world that only the dragon riders can save. There's so much action and suspense that you don't know who will live and who will die! I'm excited to read the last book of this series to see how it all ends and if Elias actually lives up to the prophecy that has changed his life!