Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Review : Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

Crash into You
*Warning: This review may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.*


Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication date: 11/26/2013
Pages: 496
Source: Own 

The Story:


From acclaimed author Katie McGarry comes an explosive new tale of a good girl with a reckless streak, a street-smart guy with nothing to lose, and a romance forged in the fast lane.

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life—that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers… and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker—a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks—no matter how angelic she might look.



But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

- Barnes & Noble
 

RatingFOUR GOLD STARS!!!!

My Review: One word: ACCELERATING

Opening Line:

Eleven years, two months, seven days.

Plot:

Rachel Young lives a charmed life. Perfect family, money, best schools and more. But there is more to Rachel's life than meets the eye. For as long as she can remember, Rachel has suffered from anxiety attacks. All of the pressure of trying to maintain the façade of being the perfect daughter, dealing with the knowledge of being her dead sister's replacement and all of the other holes in her family life takes its toll in the terror of public speaking. The only place Rachel feels like her true self is in her white Mustang, her baby.

And it is her white Mustang that led her to Isaiah and a heap of trouble. . .

Isaiah Walker is from the wrong side of the tracks. Literally. With his rough exterior, heart of golden and black Mustang he is a dark knight in rusty armor. Outside of Noah and Beth, Isaiah does not know what it means to have a real family. All he wants is to become a certified mechanic, drive his Mustang and for his criminal of a mother to stay out of his life. That is, until he met Rachel. Or rather, saved her butt from the scumbag of racing (among other, more unsavory things), Eric, who has it out for Rachel.

In a whirlwind of  family drama, forbidden love, fast cars and a race against the clock, Crash Into You is a thrilling YA book that will keep you wanting more. With that, I am beyond excited to say that I was pleased with this book. Maybe it was because I have an affinity for Mustangs? (hehe, just kidding) Having enjoyed Pushing the Limits and Dare You To, I was delighted that Crash Into You did hold up to my expectations. And I most certainly cannot wait to read more of Katie McGarry's work (Haley and West's story, Take Me On, is next).

Meet the Author:


Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.
Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON,  BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine’s 2012 Reviewer’s Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.
Links:


Happy Reading!

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Review : Regine's Book by Regine Stokke


Hey Bookies!

Last month I was contacted by Jo Beaton over at Zest Books to blog for Regine to Honor National Young Adult Cancer Week: March 31- April 6, 2014. I was asked to read and review Regine's Book: A Teen Girl's Last Words here on The Tattered Page on April 5. But before we get to the review below I included a little background on the book.

*Warning: This review may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.
Release date: April 1, 2014
Publisher: Zest Books
Pages: 331
Source: ARC

The Story:
Regine Stokke began her blog after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia in 2008. Her goal was to paint a realistic picture of what it’s like to battle a life-threatening illness—and to share her experience with the world. During the 15 months Regine was sick, and to her death, she transformed from an average teenage girl, upset that she didn’t have a private hospital room, to a grateful and humble young woman with a deep appreciation for the beauty all around her.

Regine’s Book is her personal story as it was written on her blog and features her own photography and artwork, as well as comments from blog readers and entries from those who loved her most. Most of us likely know someone affected by cancer, but don’t know the details of what it is like to live day to day with the disease. Regine’s Book puts a face on this terrible disease, and deals with every facet of living with cancer, from the good days to the bad and everything in between.

My Review: One word: INSPIRING

Inspiring . . . Yes, inspiring.  As I read Regine's moving story I often found myself dazing off. In the car, while eating, walking. Contemplating the inspiring words a teenage girl had the courage and compassion to share with the rest of the world. Before I read Regine's Book I never considered myself lucky or blessed. And the good ole grass always seemed greener on the other side.

Not only that, but I am ashamed to admit that what Regine said about waiting for something applies to me as well. "We're all hoping that there's something better, but focus instead on what you have now" [page 55]. We all want to believe there is something better out there. We all want our proverbial cake and to eat it too. Just as Regine said, I have taken my life for granted in many ways as she had before she was diagnosed. Most of my life I have dealt with existential crisis. Why was I put on this planet? What is my purpose? What does destiny have in store for me? When will things get better? High school? College? Medical school?

After reading the inspiring journey of growth and discovery of an ordinary teenage girl who transformed into a charismatic, insightful young women, a fresh outlook on life is practically guaranteed.

Although, Regine may not be alive in the physical sense she still lives on. Immortalized through her words. Words that touch all those who are willing enough to read Regine's story.

So, in the wise words of Regine: "Take care of your happiness and forget the sorrow."

Rating: FOUR GOLD STARS!!!!

Additional Stalking Links:

Zest Books' Regine’s BookBlogging for Regine” page
Social Media links:
Twitter: Please use the #ReginesBook hashtag! 
Regine's Book at Zest Books
Regine’s Book on Goodreads
Regine’s Book LibraryThing
Books can be ordered from these online booksellers, as well as from any bookstore:
IndieBound: [and your favorite independent bookseller by extension!]  
The Book Depository (free shipping internationally to any country):
Zest Books Regine's Book page also has a “buy now” button
Happy Reading!
Haysel