Not Feelin' the Love; Books That Made Me Bawl

I don't have anything against Valentine's Day. First of all, there's chocolate everywhere! And love! And hearts, and everyone is supposed to be happy, etc. 

But today has been a depressing, heartbreaking day for reasons completely outside of books and more in the lines of my favourite sports team and player as you could probably tell by my rant on Twitter. So, I'm not exactly feeling the love. I was going to do some type of romance book today, but I'm not in the mood. Seriously, I'm even wearing black. 

I know Valentine's Day isn't the best day for a lot of people, so here's a list of books that made me cry or generally feel very sad and awful. Sorry in advance. Oh, and if you can click on the book covers to get a link to the Goodreads page. 

It begins with this book. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green made me bawl. I was sickened, I was disgusted, and I was so angry. You can see I haven't rated this book. I can't do that. This book disturbed me so badly. It's a book about a girl with cancer and it's written incredibly well so that every paragraph is entertaining in it's own right. It lures you in and breaks your heart. It's actually quite cruel so I will warn you about that. 

Next book I have to give a shout out to is Where She Went by Gayle Forman. It's the sequel to an already pretty heartbreaking book in If I Stay. I feel like Where She Went hits harder, is much more sad, and Adam is a better protagonist than Mia. He's so genuine, raw, and lost and the book reeks of nostalgia. Ever lost something or someone you loved? This book is all about that. What I did like is that while there is some type of bright side in the end, it's not cliched. It comes from lots of work and the promise of happiness is not a sure thing. It's a possibility, a tentative one at that. Definitely worth a read. 

Yeah, yeah, I have a thing for sequels. I liked The Summer I Turned Pretty, It was sad, and completely unexpected. I liked however, It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han even more. It's the story of what happens after your life has completely changed. It's about trying to hold things together, and at what point should you let everything go. It's also about growing up. This book is Belly's journey, and it's the second in the trilogy. I have yet to read the third, but I feel this book is good enough. 

Undoubtedly, I'm missing a good chunk of books. However, when I think of books that made me bawl, these three are the first that come to mind. I had a hard time reading every one of them and they made an impression in my mind. Did anyone read any of these? Which books have made you cry the most?

Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty

Author: Jenny Han
Pages: 276
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Source: Library
Challenge: Ultimate Reviewers' Challenge book 10
Synopsis: Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

Buy the Book (Amazon)
Buy the Book (The Book Depository)

I finally read The Summer I Turned Pretty and I really liked it. It was a fun, nice read and definitely felt like summer. I was deeply immersed in the world and I love the characters.

Belly is awesome. She's not vain, she doesn't spend hours on her looks but she does whatever she wants and feels comfortable with it. She knows what she wants and tries to get it. Everything she felt made sense, and I can see why she acted the way she did. I love that she actually gets upset and acknowledges acting immaturely. She has flaws and I love her for them.

I love the characters in this book, especially Susannah. Eccentric, indulgent, what's not to love? Conrad and Jeremiah are both swoon worthy guys. I seriously love both of them, and usually I prefer one brother or one guy in a story but I think I may love them both. All I know is that Belly's relationship with them is real and funny, and serious.

Belly encountered many firsts (and seconds). She's about my age (tiny bit older) and I loved that she felt like a friend. I loved her reactions to events like dates, parties and kisses. At first glance this book may seem like a light, summer read but there's more to it then that. It deals with hard issues teens face in a real way.

One last comment: I cried. I think the last book to have done that to me was If I Stay or Darkest Mercy. I love how emotionally involved this book made me be. I'm totally rooting for the characters.

Sarah Dessen said it best in her blurb, this book has everything you want in a summer. It makes me extra excited for summer. I can't wait to read the sequel. 4 stars,

****

In My Mailbox (8)

Welcome to another great week of IMM hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren which is a great way to feature books that might not necessarily be reviewed. This week I'll just post 5 books I got, though I did get more! I'll link to Amazon this week since I've had a crazy day.


The Anti-Prom,Huntress, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Bloodline Rising, The Daughters Take the Stage

Overall a pretty good book week. How about you? What did you get in your mailbox? (AND, welcome to Tantalizing Illusions!)

Psst! Vote on the right for your favourite cover! The covers are at a tie and that can NOT happen!