Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

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Title: Attachments

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Length: 336 pages

Publisher: PenguinGroup-Plume

Classification: Adult, Chick-Lit, Contemporary, Romance

Release Date: April 2011

Source: e-galley from NetGalley (It was a Read Now Title. Thank you NetGalley and PenguinGroup-Plume!)

Read: May 2014

GoodReads

"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you . . . " Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives. Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke. When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories. By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself. What would he say . . . ? (From GoodReads)

**I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

My Rating:

Oh my goodness, such a cute story. This is the second Rainbow Rowell book I have read, and I definitely look forward to reading more of her books.

I found this story to be interesting with relatable characters.

The Story:

There are so many references to things that I like. And each time, I yelled “Yes!” in my head. I think my favorite thing about Attachments was that part of the story is told in email format between two female co-workers. I loved this element to the story and would get excited each time a new “email” popped up. I think it adds excitement to the story (not that I felt it needed excitement). I enjoyed the entire story and it kept me interested. There were several times that I didn't want to quit reading.
I found it to be a fun quick read. It had a lot of funny parts too. I love when books make me laugh.
There were moments when I thought what was happening was a little unrealistic, but it didn't take away from me enjoying what I read. I don't need books to be completely realistic for me to like them.

The Characters:

I really enjoyed most of the characters in this book. Each of the main characters were dealing with certain struggles and challenges in their lives, which allowed me to feel for the character and connect with them.

Lincoln: I love him! He is sweet and a little geeky. Definitely a guy that I would date in real life. I found his character to be well developed. He was geeky but also normal, which I think awesome. I liked that it didn't feel like a geeky-gamer stereotype. I was really interested in what happened in Lincoln's past as well as everything that was going on in his life throughout the story. 

Beth: I also enjoyed her character. And I really felt for her with the stuff going on between her and her boyfriend that she is facing in the book. I found her to be likable and sweet. I was really interested in what would happen with her boyfriend as well as if she would meet Lincoln. 

Jennifer: As I have mentioned before, I just love the dialog between Jennifer and Beth in their emails. And I think I was able to really connect with this character and some of the things that were happening in her life. (I don't know by experience, but I was able to really sympathize with her character and become emotionally attached to what happens in her life.) 

Eve: I like Eve. She is the (little bit of a meddling) big sister. And I really felt like I could relate with her, because I am also the older sister and sometimes I feel like I want to help my little brother out with what is going on with his life.

My Recommendation:

Give it a read! If you are already a fan of Rainbow Rowell, or if you like a good contemporary I definitely recommend reading Attachments. I am so glad that I read it!

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

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Title: The Truth About Forever

Author: Sarah Dessen

Length: 374 pages

Publisher: Penguin Group Inc.

Classification: Young Adult, Contemporary

Release Date: May 11, 2004

Source: Paperback (Thank you again Kristina!)

Read: March 2014

A long, hot summer...
That's what Macy has to look forward to while her boyfriend, Jason, is away at Brain Camp. Days will be spent at a boring job in the library, evenings will be filled with vocabulary drills for the SATs, and spare time will be passed with her mother, the two of them sharing a silent grief at the traumatic loss of Macy's father.
But sometimes unexpected things can happen—things such as the catering job at Wish, with its fun-loving, chaotic crew. Or her sister's project of renovating the neglected beach house, awakening long-buried memories. Things such as meeting Wes, a boy with a past, a taste for Truth-telling, and an amazing artistic talent, the kind of boy who could turn any girl's world upside down. As Macy ventures out of her shell, she begins to wonder, Is it really better to be safe than sorry? (From GoodReads)

My Rating:

Oh. My. Goodness. THIS BOOK!

This is my first Sarah Dessen book and now I must read all her books.

I love Sarah Dessen's writing style. And as I read there were several lines that she wrote that just spoke to me.
This is a wonderful book that allows readers to see the main character develop and overcome challenges in their lives.
I really enjoyed reading this book and was able to read it pretty much in one night.

The Story:
This is a wonderful book that allows readers to see the main character develop and overcome challenges in their lives.
I think this book is realistic.
Macy has lost her father. Her boyfriend is going away for a summer camp, leaving her to fill his position at the library. But the summer changes her life. She meets some new friends and starts a new job.
Although this story is dealing with Macy needing to deal with her grief surrounding her father's death, it is written in a way that doesn't depress the reader. There are funny and sarcastic parts.

The Characters:
I really loved the relationships between all of the characters!
Macy: The main character. I love her character. She is so realistically well written! I felt so bad for her, everything she had been going through. And there were several moments when reading I wish I could have jumped into the book to comfort her and give her a hug. I have not lost a parent, so I don't know the extent of what she felt, but there were several things she would think or say, it it really sounded like me. I absolutely loved her development throughout the story.
Delia: I think she is one of my favorite characters! I found her to be amazing. I am not sure if I was able to connect with her because she is a mother, trying to balance her life. But I really love her character. I found her to be understanding and down to earth. She is loving and caring.
Wes: Oh my. What a wonderful guy. He is another great character. Artistic and truthful. And swoon-worthy! He is a wonderful brother and friend. He is awesome.
Kristy: What an awesome friend. I love how after everything she has been through, she is still optimistic and hopeful. She is able to enjoy her life and she knows what she wants. I think she is strong and tough. I really feel that she is the kind of friend that Macy needs to help her out of her shell some.

I also really liked Macy's developing relationships between her mother and her sister. Very well written!

I felt that this book was inspiring. And there were several things that I took from this story:

• Forever can be anything. Long or short. It isn't about the length of time but what you do with it.
• Don't focus on forever. Focus on the right now. 
• Enjoy life to the fullest.
• Don't be scared.
• Embrace the imperfections and chaos. Don't let it keep you from living. It is just a part of life.
• Nothing is always perfect.

Thank you, Sarah Dessen for writing this book! 

My Recommendation:

Highly Recommended!

I recommend this book for anyone that enjoys reading contemporary books. Anyone that likes to read about characters overcome challenges in their lives. 

Legend by Marie Lu

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Title: Legend

Author: Marie Lu

Length: 305 pages

Publisher: Speak (Penguin Group)

Classification: Young Adult, Dystopian

Release Date: November 29, 2011






My Rating:

I LOVE this book. I knew after reading it that this was going on my Favorite Series list/shelf.

I found this book to be action packed and I had a hard time putting it down.

This book is based in a broken America. It is primarily split into two sides, the Republic and the Colonies. There is also a group of people known as the Patriots.
Not to mention there is a plague that is killing people (mostly in the lower sector since the more wealthy can afford shots to protect them from the plague).

The story is told from two different points of view. Day and June.

Day is the Republic's most wanted criminal.
June is a prodigy of the Republic and starts to work for the military.

I liked the plot of the story. Day's brother catches the plague and so Day does pretty much anything he can do to get his hands on the cure to save his brother's life.

I really like Day's character. She is strong, determined and cares for others in his life. He will do anything including risking his life to save/protect those he loves. And I love it! Yes there were parts of his speech that annoyed me a little bit, like how he calls everyone cousin. But it didn't annoy me enough to quit reading or even take away from the overall loveness of this book.

I liked June's character. She is strong and determined too. I think her and Day were quite similar in a lot of ways. But instead of being a criminal, she is part of the top military of the Republic.




Spoilers ahead. Stop reading if you don't want to know what happens during the story. 
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I was surprised when June's brother died.

...probably because I didn't read anything about what happens in the series (not even the information on the book) before picking it up to read. I had seen good reviews and that it was a dystopian, so I knew I would end up liking it so I didn't need to know much about it.

But I was, especially when we read from Day's point of view of him hitting Metias in the shoulder with the knife.

I was also really surprised that Day was able to jump from such a height and not really get hurt. Especially since he already had a bum knee.

Then we have June going to look at her brother's dead body, being told that Day is the one that murdered him.
Which I immediately took note, that I did not believe that Day did it. Because he hit him in the shoulder. I made a note saying "did someone else move the knife and kill Metias?"

But I kept thinking, if Day didn't do it then who did? My mind thought to different soldiers, the captain, or even maybe someone else that had been on the streets. I just didn't think that Day did it. (Maybe I just didn't want to believe that the character I started to like could do something like that...)

June is very smart and she went under cover to find Day.

She didn't really have to look long. She ended up stumbling into the cage match that he had been at to win some money to buy a cure. And she ended up taking the place of Tess (Day's best friend) and fought in the cage match.

She gets stabbed and runs off. Where Day comes to the rescue. She doesn't realize that it is Day at the beginning (which I found easy to believe) and ends up staying with them for a few days.

They kiss.
They both really like it.

Then she figures out that he is Day. She follows him to his family's house and then is able to make a report about it to her superiors.

I was a bit surprised that she still turned him in. I thought there was starting to be something between them, and figured she would probably hold out a little bit longer and maybe find out what happened before turning him in.

Nope, I was wrong. The next morning they came for his family and when he got there he found a trap. All thanks to June turning him in.

Not to mention they killed his Mom, right then and there. Took his brothers into custody and captured Day.
I felt so bad for him.
And I also felt anger towards June.
Maybe because I thought her act of revenge to capture her brother's killer was not really happening. Since I still thought that Day didn't do it. But I was a bit surprised that she went through with it. I thought she might help him or something.

Later on in the story we find out that she finally believes him about not killing her brother. And she finds some interesting information regarding her brother and her parents.

I loved the puzzle that Metias left for June. I thought it was so creative!

Also finding out that Day also scored a perfect on his trials was surprising. I didn't see that coming. I did think a couple times that there had to be some kind of mistake with his score. But I didn't think that it would be him getting a perfect score like June.

Another thing that had taken me by surprise was the fact that Metias loved Thomas. I totally didn't see it coming either. And it really made me sad for June and Metias (about his death) when she found all the information that he had discovered. I wish he didn't die. But I also liked his advice to her. He was a very good big brother.

I found Day's flashbacks to his childhood to be interesting. Especially about his necklace.

And the banquet that they had to celebrate Day's capture. The second we were introduced to Anden there was going to be our LOVE TRIANGLE.

I love June's determination. And her desire to do what is right. After finding out that Day didn't kill her brother, she decides she needs to help him escape. She wanted him captured for justice, but when she learns that he is the wrong guy, she wants to get him out.

I knew when his execution date got pushed up that something was going to go wrong with the escape plan and I was really worried for June's safety as well as Day's.

And then we have one of the biggest surprises of all for me was when June and Day escaped, and John was executed as Day. This really broke my heart. John (Day's older brother) pretended to be Day (since they look similar) and was executed in his place. Which gave Day the chance to get out. To survive.
It made me so SAD. I felt so heartbroken for Day. Between him and June, they both pretty much have lost everyone. Parents. Siblings. At least Day still had Eden (which they weren't able to get to yet).

And the ending made me want to immediately start reading the next book!

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END OF SPOILERS


So I really loved this book! And I recommend it to anyone that likes to read YA dystopians and likes action and adventure.