A TRUE Masterpiece // ARC Review: Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows

Title: Before She Ignites
Author: Jodi Meadows
Publication Date: September 12th 2017
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (Harper Collins)
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 1/3 of the Fallen Isles Trilogy
I Got A Copy Through: Jodi Meadows (THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU QUEEN!)
Buy Links: Amazon US || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Before
Mira Minkoba is the Hopebearer. Since the day she was born, she’s been told she’s special. Important. Perfect. She’s known across the Fallen Isles not just for her beauty, but for the Mira Treaty named after her, a peace agreement which united the seven islands against their enemies on the mainland.
But Mira has never felt as perfect as everyone says. She counts compulsively. She struggles with crippling anxiety. And she’s far too interested in dragons for a girl of her station.
After
Then Mira discovers an explosive secret that challenges everything she and the Treaty stand for. Betrayed by the very people she spent her life serving, Mira is sentenced to the Pit–the deadliest prison in the Fallen Isles. There, a cruel guard would do anything to discover the secret she would die to protect.
No longer beholden to those who betrayed her, Mira must learn to survive on her own and unearth the dark truths about the Fallen Isles–and herself–before her very world begins to collapse. 

Actual Rating 4.5 Stars

In a nutshell, why you HAVE to read this book:

    1)      DRAGONS. (Flying, fire breathing, fluffy, BEST MYTHICAL CREATURES EVER - dragons)

   2)      Main character suffers from Panic attacks (MENTAL HEALTH IN YA FANTASY. FINALLY)

   3)      MAGIC AND DRAGON TRAFFICKING AND WAR AND FINDING YOURSELF AND FRIENDSHIP.

You’ll have to forgive me if most of my review is filled with capital letters because I just finished this book a few hours ago and everything – EVERYTHING, I TELL YOU (but especially the dragons) – about this book made me SO HAPPY. I missed Jodi Meadows’ writing and her way to twist the very world she introduced to you and EVERYTHING.

And now I’m gushing, and sad it’s over and waiting desperately for book two. YOU NEED THIS BOOK IN YOUR LIVES.

Let’s break it down:

WRITING:

Jodi Meadows’ writing has always taken me by a storm. It’s simple and sophisticated and totally eliminated that time you take to get used to a fantasy world, and allows you to simply slip in and out seamlessly. I loved how Mina was scared and made mistakes but she was pure of heart and her character came alive with the writing.

IDEA:

Let’s be honest – in a book with dragons, HOW CAN YOU GO WRONG? This book incorporates a main characters with mental health problems, in love with dragons even though she shouldn’t be and her growth as she learns about the real world locked in a prison underground. It was a gorgeous idea, and written really well and DID I SAY THERE ARFE DRAGONS? WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED?

PLOT:

While the idea and writing were really good, I feel like the plot could have been better? The book kept switching from past to present and not in a uniform way which slightly shook me.

For a majority of this book, Mina is locked in a dark cell. Everything is done SO SO WELL – from the madness that ensures when she’s locked, the starvation and thirst and the need for human contact and communication and the lists in her head and her hallucinations. Jodi managed to capture the intensity of being a prisoner in harsh conditions very well.

I can’t shake the feeling that BSI could have had a LITTLE less time in the prison and a LITTLE MORE out there in the real world, actually advancing the plot. I understand why all of it was essential to her character development but I wish a little more happened as well.

CHARACTERS:

The character of Mira Minkoba was BEAUTIFULLY brought out. The peace treaty between the islands was written with her as the ‘Hopebearer’ and all her life she’s been a pretty doll for the ruling council until she speaks up and gets thrown into a prison for life.

She suffers from panic attacks, her self-image is in shambles and she’s never had to survive on her own until the prison, and how she grows (slowly but surely) was an amazing journey to witness. ALSO, SHE LOVES DRAGONS AND I LOVE HER.

I loved her best friends as well – every good book needs good best friends and she had friends that would risk their lives for her. Mina’s prison cell mates and the evil guards were also done really well.

Her relationship with Aaru was one of the highlights of this book – I loved their method of communication, how they bonded and the powers of theirs that we got hints of. I’m very excited to see how everything goes in book two.

CONCLUSION:

I LOVED THIS BOOK. It had dragons and mental health and friendship and love and politics and conspiracy and YOU NEED THIS.

Another masterpiece from a Queen of Fantasy. 4.5 stars. 

Jodi Meadows wants to be a ferret when she grows up and she has no self-control when it comes to yarn, ink, or outer space. Still, she manages to write books. She is the author of the INCARNATE Trilogy, the ORPHAN QUEEN Duology, and the FALLEN ISLES Trilogy (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen), and a coauthor of MY LADY JANE (HarperTeen). Visit her at www.jodimeadows.com

Have you read the AMAZING Jodi Meadows' books? Which one is your favourite? 

What are your favorite mythical creatures? PLEASE SAY DRAGONS!

Are you excited for Before She Ignites? Have you already read it!

A Light, Fun Contemporary // ARC REVIEW: In Some Other Life by Jessica Brody

Title: In Some Other Life
Author: Jessica Brody
Publication Date: August 8th 2017
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Macmillan Intl (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Kennedy Rhodes turns down an acceptance to an elite private school, instead choosing to stay at her high school and jump at the opportunity to date the boy of her dreams. Three years later, Kennedy walks in on that same boyfriend cheating with her best friend—and wishes she had made a different choice. But when Kennedy hits her head and wakes up in the version of her life where she chose to attend the private school, she finds that maybe it’s not as perfect of a world as she once thought. 

In A Nutshell: In Some Other Life is Freaky Friday meets a little physics in a high schooler’s story of a choice that changed her life. As an added bonus, there’s also a very swoony boy.

I’ve heard about the wonderfulness of Jessica Brody’s books from various blogger friends, especially her Unremembered trilogy and so, when I saw that she was releasing a YA Contemporary that seemed really interesting to me, I knew I had to read it!

Let’s break down what I thought about this book:

IDEA:

Let’s be honest, if you’ve been in high school, you’ve made a decision or two (and maybe even more than two) based on a boy, a girl, or maybe even both who might’ve romantically been paying attention to you. IT HAPPENS. Which is why the idea of this book really appealed to me. A Girl who chooses her normal public school so she can be close to her long time crush instead of the fancy private school and gets to do it over after the boy cheats on her? SIGN ME UP!

PLOT:

The plot went pretty much as I expected it to – first it showed us Kennedy in her normal life where she chose her boyfriend over the prestigious school and the second in which she’s been at the prestigious Winsdor Academy for three years, living the life she thought she wanted all along.

I did have a few problems with this part of the book:

1)      In BOTH versions of her life, Kennedy Rhodes is supposed to be smart. And I mean top of her class, Ivy League shoo-in, and editor-in-chief since feshman year smart. And yet, she was ALSO REALLY REALLY NAIVE AND A LITTLE DAFT. She didn’t realise her dad didn’t live in her house, she didn’t figure out what the numbers and letters meant (I MEAN - I DID, AND I’M NOT THAT SMART)

Her character was described as one thing, but she acted totally differently when it came to her personal life. I. JUST. HOW?

2)      She also objectified other girls who do use make-up by referring it to as “fake and misleading.” I honestly believe what you want to put on your body is a choice and as girls, we need to support each other’s choices so this seriously annoyed me. Just because someone decides to put makeup on, doesn’t make a “fake” person.

At the same time, I also loved a lot of the plot. Frankie, Kennedy’s younger brother and Dylan were these two ADORABLE little muffins that made the whole book stand out for me. I loved Frankie’s board game and mind and I adored all the scenes with him in it and WELL, Dylan was just an all-around perfect non-Zombie.

WRITING:

The writing managed to capture the voice (And all the hysteria and joy) that comes with being a teenage girl but nothing really spectacular.

CONCLUSION:

If you’re looking for that light contemporary read with a REALLY CUTE and SASSY boy, a girl with a decision to make and the cutest baby brother ever, In Some Other Life is for you.

Jessica Brody knew from a young age that she wanted to be a writer. She started self “publishing” her own books when she was seven years old, binding the pages together with cardboard, wallpaper samples, and electrical tape. Jessica has sold over twelve novels for teens, tweens, and adults including 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, The Karma Club, My Life Undecided, and the three books in the Unremembered trilogy, the first of which is currently in development as a major motion picture by the producers of The Vampire Academy, Zero Dark Thirty, Life of Pi, and Slumdog Millionaire. In 2016, she will release two new contemporary novels, A Week of Mondays (August) and Boys of Summer (April), and in 2017, her debut middle grade novel entitled, Addie Bell’s Shortcut to Growing Up, will hit bookstore shelves.

Have you read any books by Jessica Brody? What have you thought of them?

Who are some of your favourite siblings in YA Literature? 

I hope you check this book out and I can't wait to hear from you.

Stacking The Shelves #32 - The One With All The Surprise Mail

Hi Everyone, AND LOOK AT ME! It's my second Stacking The Shelves in as many weeks and I'm honestly very proud of myself. This week has been FILLED with surprise bookmail (AKA when publishers decide to shower you in books) and I love it. (See also: Me struggling to stay on top of my TBR)

Even though the books I got aren't YA books, I SINCERELY appreciate the thought these publishers have put into sending me bookish parcels and I will be reading and reviewing them. Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely bookish humans at Tyga's reviews and is all about the books you stacked onto your shelves over the last week, whether they were bought, gifted or received.

FOR REVIEW:

From Pan Macmillan India: 

1. Awaken by Ashok Banker: So I've seen this book around and it had me at Feminist Indian Fantasy. THESE DON'T EXIST, Y'ALL (or none that I've read - I'm not particularly well versed in Indian Fantasy) but apart from the cover that's not the best it could be, this book has stunning reviews and I'm actually really excited to read it! You can check it out on Goodreads here.

2. Charlatans by Robin Cook: Confession Time: I haven't read a Robin Cook book before today, but now that I have a copy of Charlatans, I'm sure I will! Fun fact: As soon as my dad saw this book, he kind of freaked out and said that he LOVED Robin Cook and stole the book from me to read first. I love it when  my family is interested in the books I get.

From Scholastic India: 

1. The Bad Guys Episode 2: Mission Unpluckable by Aaron Blabey
2. The Bad Guys Episode 3: The Furball Strikes Again by Aaron Blabey
3. The Bad Guys Episode 4: Apocalypse Meow by Aaron Blabey

I read book one in this HILARIOUS children's series a long time ago and I fell in love with it. The Bad Guys is a gorgeously illustrated and hilariously told story about four traditional bag guys - the Big Bad Wolf, a snake, a pirhana and a shark trying to be heroes and the pure madness that ensures. Even as an adult, I thoroughly enjoy this series. You can read my review of book one here. 

4. Meduim Fast and Furious by Rahul Oak: This book promises my puppy love and I HONESTLY couldn't ask for anything more. It's set in the 90's in Bombay, India and is coming age story with cricket, friendship and puppies! It sounds really cool.

5. Beetle Queen by M.G. Leonard: I read Beetle Boy last year as a part of another surprise mail package from Scholastic and now I have Beetle Queen! This edition has gorgeous spotted edges and while I don't know when I'll be able to make time to read this beauty, I'm so grateful to scholastic for sending it to me.

6. Growing Up In Pandupur by Adithi and Chatura Rao: This is so surprising because the cover I just received isn't up on Goodreads yet, and I really wanted it to be because it is gorgeous. This is all about growing up in small town, traditional India and are exactly the kind of stories I loved as a kid!

From Edelweiss: 

1. Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George: I'm SO SO EXCITED to announce that McKelle George will be one of the SEVEN wonderful authors that are going to be a part of Meet The Authors September! The cover of her book is absolutely stunning and this is a SHAKESPEARE RETELLING! McKelle was AMAZING enough to get me approved to read a copy on Edelweiss and I can't wait to do just that!

From NetGalley: 
1. Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowan: I freaked out the MINUTE I got the chance to read this book because IT SOUNDED LIKE THE BEST THING EVER. I almost immediately flipped it open and fell in love with the prose, the characters and the art. I've already posted my review on Goodreads and it'll be on the blog soon. LONG STORY SHORT: You NEED THIS OMG IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

2. The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed: A FEMINIST STORY! The Nowhere Girls is all about a band of misfits who come together to avenge the rape of a fellow classmate and end up igniting a feminist movement and I CANNOT WAIT TO READ THIS BECAUSE I KNOW I', GOING TO LOVE THIS ON PRINCIPLE. Add it to your TBRs, everybody

BOUGHT: 


1. Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater: This is the third book in the Raven Cycle Trilogy. It's been 10 months from when I closed the AMAZING The Dream Thieves to the day I bought this copy and I have NO IDEA AS TO WHY IT TOOK ME SO LONG. I can't wait to dive into Blue and her Raven Boys' world again because YAY! Also, this cover is SO BEAUTIFUL.  *Chokes up*

2. Burning Glass by Kathryn Prudie:  I've been meaning to buy this book since LAST YEAR and I did as SOON AS the paperback version came out. I've heard that this is brilliant from multiple trusted bloggers and I can't wait to begin!

What books have you recently Stacked onto your shelves? Have you already read some of the book I just got? 

What did you think of them? 

I can't wait to hear what all of you think!

A Story That Deserves To Be Read // REVIEW: Exit, Pursued By A Bear by E.K. Johnston

Title: Exit, Pursued By A Bear
Author: E. K. Johnston
Publication Date: May 2nd 2017
Publisher: Speak (Penguin Random House)
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: PRH International (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: "This story of a cheerleader rising up after a traumatic event will give you Veronica Mars-level feels that will stay with you long after you finish." ~ Seventeen Magazine, Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak for a new generation.
Hermione Winters is captain of her cheerleading team, and in tiny Palermo Heights, this doesn't mean what you think it means. At PHHS, the cheerleaders don't cheer for the sports teams; they are the sports team - the pride and joy of a tiny town. The team's summer training camp is Hermione's last and she knows this season could make her a legend. But during a camp party, someone slips something in her drink. And it all goes black. 
In every class, there's a star cheerleader and a pariah pregnant girl. They're never supposed to be the same person. Hermione struggles to regain the control she's always had and faces a wrenching decision about how to move on. The assault wasn't the beginning of Hermione Winter's story and she's not going to let it be the end. She won t be anyone s cautionary tale.

Actual Rating 3.5 Stars

Before I begin:

Books about rape or any kind of sexual abuse are VERY VERY important reads to me because I live in a culture where victim blaming is widespread and girls don’t speak up for the most part when they are violated.

When I heard about Exit, Pursued by a Bear, more than a year ago I knew I would read it at some point or the other. It had a story that involved rape that hasn’t been handled before specifically one involving pregnancy, the head cheerleader and a date rape drug.

And so, when I picked it up two days ago, I was very excited. The book had its plus points and its drawbacks but let’s break them down:

WHAT I LIKED:

1.       NO VICTIM BLAMING: I wanted to applaud this book when it didn’t go through the whole “the girl was asking for it,” arc because THERE SHOULDN’T BE A QUESTION ABOUT THIS. Nobody who has ever been raped has asked for it and NO MEANS NO. The one time it did come up, it was handled positively and I loved it. I wish the world didn’t victim blame and this aspect of the book made me very happy.

2.       STRONG FRIENDS = STRONG SUPPORT SYSTEM: Another thing was that all of Hermoine’s friends didn’t magically abandon her but STUCK WITH HER at all times, supported her and they were just there for her. Exit, Pursued by a Bear broke the stereotype of “catty” cheerleaders and showed that these cheer teammates and friends were true friends and also a support system for Hermoine.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:

1.       THE LACK OF EMOTION IN THE WRITING: Hermoine was raped after the she was given a date rape drug. She was left in a lake to die until she was found. It’s gruesome, it’s horrible that a human could have the capability to do that. I felt violated sitting in the confines of my room but I NEVER felt it from Hermoine. She actually addresses it too – the fact that she couldn’t remember the rape and hence didn’t feel like it happened to her but some other girl WHICH I UNDERSTAND, and it’s definitely a new perspective but it all felt so mechanical to me. I feel like a little more emotion in the WRITING of Hermoine could have gone a long way in this book.

2.       THE BOYFRIEND: Leon McKenna was a POINTLESS character. They were never really serious, it was as if he just existed to create some unnecessary drama. I didn’t understand their relationship while they were together, I didn’t get the reason for his jealousy because it was mentioned briefly in hindsight and I DEFINITELY DIDN’T UNDERSTAND how he could tell people those things about Hermoine. REALLY?

I could never say this was a bad book – it’s a good story that handles a very important topic.

I could never not recommend this book – we should all be reading these books to understand and grow as human beings. So pick up Exit, Pursued by a Bear, or pick up Patty Blount’s Some Boys or Louise O’Neill’s Asking for It – they deserve to be read. The characters are fictional but their stories happen every day to boys and girl around the world.

Go read this book. It deserves to be read. These stories need to be heard. 

E.K. Johnston had several jobs and one vocation before she became a published writer. If she’s learned anything, it’s that things turn out weird sometimes, and there’s not a lot you can do about it. Well, that and how to muscle through awkward fanfic because it’s about a pairing she likes. You can follow Kate on Twitter (@ek_johnston) to learn more about Alderaanian political theory than you really need to know, or on Tumblr (ekjohnston) if you're just here for pretty pictures.

What are some of the best book you've read that handle rape or sexual abuse? I'm always looking for more books that take it on well and I'd love your recommendations!

Have you read any other of E.K. Johnston's books? What did you think of them. 

I can't wait to hear from you!

Unconditional Love and Cookie Dough // REVIEW: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

Title: The Upside of Unrequited
Author: Becky Albertalli
Publication Date: April 11th 2017
Publisher: PUFFIN Books
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Penguin Random House India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Flipkart || Snapdeal || Infibeam || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love-she's lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because no matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can't stomach the idea of rejection. So she's careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.
Then a cute new girl enters Cassie's orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly's cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly's totally not dying of loneliness-except for the part where she is.Luckily, Cassie's new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. Will is funny, flirtatious, and just might be perfect crush material. Maybe more than crush material. And if Molly can win him over, she'll get her first kiss and she'll get her twin back.
There's only one problem: Molly's coworker, Reid. He's an awkward Tolkien superfan, and there's absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right? 

I’ve seen people on the internet RAVING about this book. I’ve seen the hype surrounding its predecessor, both the book and movie version. My closest friend read this book and described it as a book that changed her life and made her fall in love with it.

So when a lovely manager at Penguin India said this book would be coming my way, I FREAKED OUT. I was VERY EXCITED, to say the least.

I finished reading this book on a long distance car ride just yesterday, and while it wasn’t Earth shatteringly good, this book was one of the cutest and most accepting books I’d read in a while. ALSO, IT MADE ME WANT TO JUMP INSIDE AND EAT MOLLY'S COOKIE DOUGH. Who could even resist?

Let me explain it in further detail:

MY THOUGHTS:

1.       WHY DO WE NOT SEE MORE FAT GIRLS IN YA BOOKS? Fat girls, like me, exist, and I’m SLOWLY (Very slowly) coming to terms with my body. Why is every protagonist out there “thin with legs for days” and “skinny and lanky?” I love the fact that Molly was a fat girl. I love that I SAW WHAT I FEEL ABOUT BOYS AND MY BODY REPRESENTED IN MOLLY. I love that I saw the insecurities, the comparison to other, thinner girls, the ever present shame that nobody could like because of your body. It summed up what fat girls feel like in a world where people are scrambling towards size zero and it did it perfectly.

2.        Another thing I loved was how accepted everyone was in this book. There was no coming out or acceptance curve that books are usually about, the instead, things just were. Gay? Anywhere on the LGBT Spectrum? Good for you. Life your life. Love who you want to love. WHICH WAS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT and it created such an open, comforting environment.

(Side Note: HOW DO WE MAKE THE ENTIRE WORLD LIKE THIS?)

Image from my bookstagram, A Thousand Words A Million Books

3.       I LOVED REID. I also loved Reid and Molly together. They were two smol adorable humans made of cookie dough and nerdiness and well, they were perfect together.

4.       One of my biggest drawbacks in the book was Cassie, Molly’s sister. This surprised even me because when I started reading, she was my FAVOURITE Character. She was bold and fearless until that turned into her bring pushy, annoying and expecting everyone to bend around her will. She said things like: “Like, you know she’s my girlfriend, right?” and “You need a boyfriend to understand, Molly” and IT PISSED ME OFF SO MUCH.

5.       I wish there was more parental supervision. I’m all for liberal parents, but these girls were SIXTEEN? Or seventeen? I’m not really sure but they were mostly allowed to do whatever they wanted which has never been my experience with parents. I LOVED THEIR PARENTS, I just wish they were more involved in the plot rather than the occasional dinner and good morning.

And that’s it. I read my first Becky Albertalli book. FINALLY.

The Upside of Unrequited is an adorable, diverse book filled with unconditional love, sisterhood and cookie dough. A MUST read.  

 Becky Albertalli is a clinical psychologist who has had the privilege of conducting therapy with dozens of smart, weird, irresistible teenagers. She also served for seven years as the coleader of a support group for gender-nonconforming children in Washington, DC. Becky Albertalli is the author of the acclaimed novels Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, The Upside of Unrequited, and Leah on the Offbeat. A former clinical psychologist who specialized in working with children and teens, Becky lives with her family in Atlanta. You can visit her online at www.beckyalbertalli.com.

Have your read Becky Albertalli's Books? 

Which one did you like better? Simon VS The Homo Sapien Agenda or The Upside of Requited? 

Are you an Oreo eater? Do you prefer the Golden ones or the Original?

I can't WAIT to hear from you!

A Laugh, Cry and Love Guarantee // REVIEW: Once And For All by Sarah Dessen

Title: Once and For All
Author: Sarah Dessen
Publication Date: June 8th 2017
Publisher: PUFFIN Books
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Penguin Random House India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Flipkart || Infibeam || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: As bubbly as champagne and delectable as wedding cake, Once and for All, is set in the world of wedding planning, where crises are routine.
Louna spends her summers helping brides plan their perfect day and handling every kind of crises: missing brides, scene-stealing bridesmaids and controlling grooms. Not surprising then, that she's deeply cynical about happy-ever-afters, especially since her own first love ended in tragedy.
When handsome girl magnet Ambrose enters her life, Louna won't take him seriously. But Ambrose hates not getting what he wants and Louna is the girl he's been waiting for.
Maybe it's not too late for a happy ending after all?
'When I read a Sarah Dessen novel, I'm sixteen again, in the flush of first love.' Jodi Picoult

I read my first Sarah Dessen book when I was twelve years old. A friend gifted me Along for the Ride for my birthday and the very next morning I was halfway into it. From twelve to almost nineteen, Sarah Dessen’s books are ones I’ve cried over and laughed and fallen in love with as I got to know, time and again, Auden, Eli, Remy, Dexter, Annabel, Owen, Macy, Wes, Ruby and all these other couples that taught me so much.

I remember myself over the last seven years through Sarah Dessen’s book, and it’s truly a magical feeling. Which is why, among the BOX FULL OF BOOKS that Penguin India sent me last week, the one I was most excited for was Once and for All.

To Sum It Up: Once and for All was the heart wrenching journey of a girl brought up by cynics who are waiting to be proven wrong and trying to figure out if putting your heart out there is worth the risk while managing chaotic weddings and bad first dates.

Long Story Short: I LOVED IT. This was definitely one of my top five Sarah Dessen books!

Let’s break it Down:

WRITING:

Sarah has this distinctive, subtle form of writing that I’ve loved since book one that all of a sudden throws these beautiful and true lines at you. I’ve loved this BRILLIANT author’s BRILLIANT writing since I was 12 and I don’t think it’ll ever change.

PLOT:

The one thing I love about Dessen’s books is that NONE of them are JUST Boy Meets Girl. There is always more to the story that just one romance, often involving a heart breaking personal journey from the girl’s side and it’s ALWAYS SO REAL. It makes me connect with all of her characters in a way I usually don’t and I love it.

CHARACTERS:

I loved Louna from chapter one. I’m probably like her, a cynic until proven otherwise, scared to let what I’m feeling show. I loved her narration, her story and her fears. I felt, by the first quarter of this book, like I really knew this girl. I also ADORED Jilly, Louna’s best friend, and her whole family. I feel like she deserves her own book.

Her story with Ethan broke my heart. It was this romance that just doesn’t happen anymore and BUT IT DID and it was so perfect while not being unreal and GOSH I ALMOST CRIED.

My one problem with this book was the romance between Ambrose and Louna. I LOVED THEM AS FRIENDS and also as people but their romance and the “love” between them seemed SO FORCED.

CONCLUSION:

This book is about Louna moving on from a broken heart and finding a way to give it to someone else AND it’s set with a wedding planning business in the background which gives off its own form of hilarity.

I LOVED THIS BOOK YOU GUYS. It will make you laugh and cry and fall in love like only Sarah Dessen can. 4 stars.

 Sarah Dessen is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen novels for teens, which have received numerous awards and rave reviews. Her books have been published in over thirty countries and have sold millions of copies worldwide. She is the recipient of the 2017 Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association for outstanding contribution to young adult literature for her novels: Keeping the Moon, Dreamland, This Lullaby, The Truth about Forever, Just Listen, Along for the Ride, and What Happened to Goodbye. Her newest novel, Once and for All, will be released in June 2017. An NC native, she currently lives in Chapel Hill with her family.

Have you read any Sarah Dessen books? Which was the first one you read? 

Which protagonist do you most relate with and which one is your favourite? 

I can't wait to hear your Sarah Dessen thoughts.