Review: Want to Go Private

Author: Sarah Darer Littman
Pages: 330
Publisher: Scholastic
Source: Library
Synopsis: Abby and Luke chat online. They've never met. But they are going to. Soon.


Abby is starting high school--it should be exciting, so why doesn't she care? Everyone tells her to "make an effort," but why can't she just be herself? Abby quickly feels like she's losing a grip on her once-happy life. The only thing she cares about anymore is talking to Luke, a guy she met online, who understands. It feels dangerous and yet good to chat with Luke--he is her secret, and she's his. Then Luke asks her to meet him, and she does. But Luke isn't who he says he is. When Abby goes missing, everyone is left to put together the pieces. If they don't, they'll never see Abby again.


Buy the Book (Amazon/The Book Depository)

Want To Go Private was another of those incredible contemporary books that need to be on your shelf like If I Stay or Thirteen Reasons Why. There's so much realism and emotion.

Abby is your typical, awkward 14 year old. It's her first year of high school and she isn't too excited about it. Abby doesn't want things to change and has a hard time meeting and accepting new people into her life. She eventually feels very lonely.

What part of that could I not relate to? I started high school two years ago and for the first few months, I hated it. I hated that all my friends were at different schools, that there were these cliques and it was hard to hang out with new people outside of class. I felt the same way as her- alone. Gradually it got much better but I can totally see where she's coming from when she starts talking to Luke.

Abby is relatable. Her relationship with her friend Faith was real, as was her conflict with Lily. She has parents she loves but sometimes can't stand like all of us. She gets high marks in math and science and she's on the honor roll. She's not a stupid or particularly weak girl. When you think of online predators taking advantage of girls, you think "Gosh, how stupid were these girls? That would never happen to me." Want to Go Private was so important in the way that it raises awareness in a way that doesn't insult or belittle the characters.

Also, since the story was told in alternating perspectives, readers will appreciate the impact of what happened on everyone from Abby's family to her friends. We even see how people in school would react. Everyone had their own view which weaves together to create a story so real you can see it happening.

Bloggers most importantly should take warning from this book. We're a group of people who spend hours promoting and building relationships on the web. Also, it's just a really good book that should be often featured.

Want to Go Private was a real, strong view of an important issue. Abby's story is one that will have you emotionally involved and hoping for the best. If I had a kid, I'd give this book to them. If I were a teacher, I'd make my students read it. (Even the most reluctant reader would be able to relate to Abby's troubles.) Want to Go Private fully deserves 4.5 stars. I really thought it was a super read.

**** & 1/2 *

Cover Wars: What's Left of Me vs Clockwork Princess

Cover Wars is when I post two covers, and you basically get a week to vote for your favourite. The winner continues on to next week, and it's kind of cool seeing which covers work and which don't. In the comments section we can discuss what we like about what cover, and it's basically some fun and friendly competition.

What's Left of Me has been a very dominant and well loved cover. Seriously, it is blowing by the competition. This week will be it's hardest challenge. Why? Because What's Left of Me is against Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Princess.

 vs 

This is an overload of pretty. I absolutely love both covers. It's really now a battle between a modern looking cover versus a more classic design. Both are beautiful but only one will win and move on to next week.

Now it's up to you. Vote on the bottom or all throughout the week on the poll to the right for your favourite cover. And let the cover wars.. BEGIN!!

Which is your favourite cover?

Exploring My TBR (3)

This is one of my favourite features and it seems to be well received, so I'll be doing two of these posts a month. Enjoy!

How it works

I'll post 5 books from my TBR list on Goodreads, and why they're there. I'll also link to Goodreads so you can add them to your TBR too.  This feature is meant to highlight interesting sounding, but not really current reads. (Btw, I realized this is kind of like The Story Siren's Books To Pine For... but some of these titles are already released, and I'm writing my own synopsis.) This time we're wandering in to the realm of books not published yet. 

1. Hidden (House of Night #10) by P.C. and Kristin Cast

I've been reading this series for what seems like forever. (Maybe three years?) I'm dying to know by now how it ends. I've read 9 books that have heaped on more and more drama, and right now I have absolutely no idea what happens next. But I want to know! I love the mythology in the series. I love the House of Nights and the Guardians, and the magic. And now I want to start seeing the series start to wrap up. 

2. The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

I thought 13 Little Blue Envelopes was a lot of fun. Travelling the world, gaining new experiences and unraveling a mystery. Seems like this book features even more travelling and fun! Plus now we know the characters a little bit better so more time will be spent on plot than introducing the characters. I don't know why I haven't read this book yet, but I hope I'll make the time. 

3. A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford 

 I see this book everywhere. Seriously. At the library, the bookstore, in someone else's hands, in some blog. I don't know why I still haven't read it though. it was an early 2011 debut- right around when I started blogging and it's paranormal and features Fallen angels and some big (epic, I hope) battle between heaven and hell. What's not to like? I'm a huge fan of the paranormal and this is a title I really want to read. 

4. Entangled by Cat Clarke 

It's the cover that did it. Yes, you see I adore high contrast and one of my favourite colours is red. So this cover is really appealing to me because I just love the colours. The book itself also sounds very cool. Grace wakes up in a white room all alone and with no recollection of how she got there. She has pens and paper to try to remember everything, and it she remembers some stuff but worries she forgot about something very important. I generally really like these kind of books where characters search for truth and the concept of this book very easily piques by interest. Definitely a must read. 

5. The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker 

Funny coincidence: The Liar Society also features a Grace, but this time she's dead and it's up to Kate to work through the secrets at her boarding school and prove that Grace's death was no accident. Murder mystery! Woohoo! I remember for a time all of YA was about boarding schools, but that trends seemed to have faded (Booo! I liked it!). Anyway, I've seen some pretty cool trailers for this book and it sounds really fun. I don't know why I haven't read this book yet. Looks like a gem. :)

So, that's it for this week. Let me know your thoughts on any of the books here, or on any recs you may have. Have a great Friday! 

I'm Participating in the Ultimate Reviewer's Challenge

Hi guys! I just wanted to give a heads up that for the month of August, I will be participating in the Ultimate Reviewer's Challenge. (The button is linked to the signup!) I have so many reviews that I need to write and post and this seems like the perfect time to do so. Expect many reviews in addition to all the other features and discussions usually had on Tantalizing Illusions. There are some really great prizes and I hope you guys enjoy the reviews!

My over under for reviews so far is 20.

And, back to your regularly scheduled Thursday afternoon content...

Review: Someone Else's Life

Author: Katie Dale

Pages: 485

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Source: NetGalley (Thank you!)

Synopsis: When 17-year-old Rosie's mother, Trudie, dies from Huntington's Disease, her pain is intensified by the knowledge that she has a fifty percent chance of inheriting the crippling disease herself. Only when Rosie tells her mother's best friend, "Aunt Sarah," that she is going to test for the disease does Sarah, a midwife, reveal that Trudie wasn't her real mother after all. Rosie was swapped at birth with a sickly baby who was destined to die.

Devastated, Rosie decides to trace her real mother, joining her ex-boyfriend on his gap year travels, to find her birth mother in California. But all does not go as planned. As Rosie discovers yet more of her family's deeply buried secrets and lies, she is left with an agonizing decision of her own, one which will be the most heart breaking and far-reaching of all.

Buy the book (Amazon/The Book Depository)

Someone Else's Life was one of those books that completely surprised me. A lot of drama happens in it, so much more than you could imagine based on the synopsis and I got a different story than the one I was expecting. That's not a bad thing. I did think the storyline was really unique and I seldom read book like it.

There's not much I can say about the book without spoiling it, so this review will probably be a lot shorter than usual.

Character wise, I found I didn't have as much of a strong relation to the characters as you'd hope to have in such an emotional story. It wasn't as much a fault of the story than the fact that I have never experienced anything close to what any one of the characters goes through. (I'm so lucky.) They have to deal with so much and I really enjoyed reading about their thoughts and reactions. We meet the characters at a time of great difficulty so the characters all make many mistakes or just show off their imperfections. It's great because they're so real, but at the same time it's a bit heavy to read.

This book is not a light, amusing read. A lot happens that will make you think, and the atmosphere within is very gloomy at times. It shows a part of life that is the reality for some people who have to deal with genetic diseases. Frankly, it was pretty hard to read at times because there was no clear answer to the characters' problems. The situation was a tangled mess, which turned out to be surprisingly reflective of life. The story felt pretty believable. There were some events that were really unlikely to happen, but overall everything that happened has the possibility of happening in real life. That helped with the believability of the story.

I read this book while I was in a pretty bad reading slump. This kind of meant that I didn't read very much or very frequently, so it took me longer than usual to read the book and there was pauses in between reading. That being said, while I did enjoy the concept and how the story was handled, nothing really sparked for me. It may have been my mood while reading but I didn't feel compelled to just keep reading till the end. I wouldn't describe this book as a page turner.

Overall, the story will always stick with me, plus I feel a little bit more educated after reading Someone Else's Life. I think it's a pretty good contemporary read and I like that it informs readers about Huntington's Disease, something I had never heard of before. I liked it, 3.5 stars,

*** & 1/2 *

Thoughts on... Endings That Changed A Series

These days, most books are part of series. Trilogies, sagas, and the like, have become the norm in YA. With all these long winding, complicated stories, there is more excitement, more action, and more suspense than ever in books. Some series have me flipping pages as fast as I can trying to get to the end, just so I can read  the final climax and the accumulation of multiple books full of tension and danger. 

Sometimes, the endings don't disappoint. Sometimes, they really are epic (see: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows). Other times, endings leave us underwhelmed. And sometimes, endings change the way we see a series. This is what I want to talk about. 

The conclusion of a series can change how the entire series feels. I usually give conclusions really high ratings because they're what everything's been leading to. Sometimes, a conclusion can change the way you look at a series. I'm going to use three examples of books who's conclusions completely changed my perception of the series. Beware, I will be writing spoilers to better explain my thoughts.

1. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight #4) 

I was a Twi-Hard. Loved the series. Read the books over 5 times each. I remember when I first got the books. I went to the library and asked if they had Twilight because I used to be active on this website called Stardoll (I was in 6th grade, ok!) and I noticed so many people admiring Edward. So when I asked my librarian for the books, she said there weren't any at the moment because the series is really popular. Instead I got a copy from my mom's coworker. I devoured the books. Seriously, within two days I was done the series. 

Eclipse was my favourite. I was totally Team Edward. When I read Breaking Dawn, I wasn't satisfied. I wished there was more action. I couldn't believe that Bella- a character moderately ordinary and who I could relate with, got freakin' pregnant. That's what the whole series was leading up to? Renesmee? 

I'm not much of a fan of the series anymore, and that's partially because Breaking Dawn was so strange to me. It used to be a cute love story, but then there was a baby. It kind of woke me up and changed the way I saw the series. 

2. Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr (Wicked Lovely #5)

I'm a huge fan of Wicked Lovely (I even joined the fansite and forums- I was in the Summer Court) but Darkest Mercy changed my perception of the series. You see, I was an enormous fan of the Summer King, Keenan. And when I say enormous, I mean enormous. I participated in discussions about Keenan and defended him. Whenever I saw the sun, I would always think of him. He was what I thought of as Summer. Guess my reaction when Keenan gave up the Summer Court in Darkest Mercy. :O 

I understand why he did it, but when I read that part I closed the book and cried. It completely changed the series and I felt like my favourite character's identity was changed. I still love the series, but that one part of the ending completely changed my perception of the series. I was cheering on him and Ash so I was upset to see him leave the Court. It was a very bittersweet ending. 

3. Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer (Nightshade #3) 

Bloodrose made me want to scream. I loved Nightshade, Wolfsbane was less good but I liked it enough because I supposed Bloodrose would feature Ren a bit more. 

Ren. Here's the issue with having a love triangle. When you create a love triangle, a lot of people are going to have difference of opinions on who should get the girl. And when you have people like me who get very attached to characters, the way you treat one of the love interests is very important to me when considering how much I enjoyed the story. 

Bloodrose made me want to scream and forget what I had just read. It made me hate Calla and Shay for both treating Ren so bad. I absolutely hated the last book. Calla led on Ren, and when Ren died I remember being furious. I had never been that angry at an author for wrecking a character I loved. I was upset to the point that I vowed not to read another Andrea Cremer book ever again. Bloodrose wrecked the whole Nightshade series for me. That conclusion is an example of a bad one. 

These are all examples of books with endings that changed the way I saw the series in a big way. They were highly awaited books and each ending engineered a different, yet emotional response. What are some endings that changed a series for you? Yours can be a little more positive than mine were. ;) 

Review: The Sweetest Thing

Author: Christina Mandelski

Pages: 352

Publisher: Egmont

Source: Library

Synopsis: In the world of Sheridan Wells, life is perfect when she’s decorating a cake. Unfortunately, everything else is a complete mess: her mom ran off years ago, her dad is more interested in his restaurant, and the idea of a boyfriend is laughable. 

But Sheridan is convinced finding her mom will solve all her problems—only her dad’s about to get a cooking show in New York, which means her dream of a perfect family will be dashed. 

Using just the right amount of romance, family drama, and cute boys, The Sweetest Thing will entice fans with its perfect mixture of girl-friendly ingredients.

Buy the book (Amazon/The Book Depository)

The Sweetest Thing wasn't what I hoped it would be. It wasn't the story for me, sadly.

First, I couldn't really bring myself to like the main character. She acted selfishly so much that I was constantly annoyed with her. She made bad decisions, acted impulsively, and though everyone around her said she was good and amazing, I had a hard time seeing that. Sheridan just wasn't someone I liked and that created complications. To be fair, she did have a hard background and had issues with family and change. She was damaged in a way. I could relate to her but I didn't really like her.

My other problem was that the story didn't really hook me in. Nothing really sparked my interest except an event about 3/4s of the way in. It's not a boring story, but it's a lot about Sheridan's personal growth. Not really action packed and I'm an adrenaline junkie. It was good but a little too plain for my tastes. The story also felt really really long. I wasn't as invested in the story as I hoped I would be.

Now on to good things because if the story was totally awful I wouldn't bother reading it. Sheridan's relationship with her dad was something I loved and hated. I could relate to it and though Sheridan was a bit daft sometimes, I really liked the dynamic shown. It wasn't simple but complex. There were layers of hurt, anger, estrangement and love. Nanny was a sweet character. She made me miss my grandma. I always smiled when she was in the scene. There was a variety of colorful secondary characters which I loved. Some of them were cliché but others were so special and unique and had me thinking of people I've met. I wish there were more of these types of characters in YA.

Overall, The Sweetest Thing had great characters. I do wish I enjoyed the story better but I can see this as a good contemporary story. I'm not the biggest fan of the contemporary genre though. 2 stars,

**