Summer Wrap Up Read-A-Thon: Day 1 Update

The Summer Wrap Up Read-A-Thon is hosted by Jennifer at Some Like It Paranormal and Jude at In Between.

What I Read: This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers
Number of Pages Read: 322
Pages Read Total: 322
Books Read Total: 1
Challenge: Readathon TBR
Reading Snacks: None! With being ill I've completely lost my appetite and I'm not allowed anything yummy anyway which sucks as everybody knows one of the best things about a readathon is the snacks! My dad did cook me one of my favourites for dinner though, coconut curry! It was delicious and I'm hoping the spices will help blast away my cold!
Non Reading Activity: Today was spent pretty much in bed alternating between reading and sleeping, sounds perfect I know, but not so much when you have to stop every few minutes to cough a lung up! I did come down stairs for food though and I watched an episode of Lost over lunch. I've started to watch the DVD boxsets for the very first time and I'm hooked and currently on season 2 so you may be seeing a lot of Lost episode mentions in my none reading time. I also spent some time on twitter stalking other readathoners...naturally ;)

Thoughts: One book down already and it was a fantastic one at that! Definitely a 5 star and my favourite out of all of Courtney Summers' books yet. So far my reading is going well, now if only I could just kick this illness' ass and I could enjoy the mountain of yummy snacks I bought...

Summer Wrap Up Read-A-Thon Day 1: My TBR

The Summer Wrap Up Read-A-Thon is hosted by Jennifer at Some Like It Paranormal and Jude at In Between. 
My Readathon To Be Read Pile

From Top to Bottom
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The Hex Hall Series:
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Raising Demons by Rachel Hawkins
Spellbound by Rachel Hawkins
White Wedding by Milly Johnson
This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers
Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
From What I Remember... by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas

Nine days, nine books! Well at least that was the original plan… before I got sick. I have laryngitis, a cold, AND my asthma playing up and haven't done any reading for days because of it. But I'm still determined to at least take part and try my best with the readathon. Needless to say this will be a more relaxed readathon for me this time around. Whereas last time I really pushed myself this time I need to prioritize getting better over reading which means, no staying up late to finish a book! *Glares sternly at future self.* However I DO have the advantage of being ill and needing some peaceful resting time to read so we'll see how we get on!

I have a nice selection to choose from over the next few days from chick-lit, to paranormal, to dystopians, to contemporary. I've got some shorter quick reads, some medium sized, and a couple of bigger books but the one thing they all have in common is that I really wanted to read them this summer, so this readathon fits in perfectly!

I'll be updating on the blog, my goodreads, and twitter whenever I can and I've already kick started day 1 by making a start on This Is Not A Test in bed this morning (SO good so far!) I'd like to read as many of these books as I can before the readathon's over so wish me luck! :)

Review for Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry 
Publisher: Mira Ink
Release Date: 3rd August 2012
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Rating: 5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"They say be a good girl, get good grades, be popular. They know nothing about me. I can't remember the night that changed my life. The night I went from popular to loner freak. And my family are determined to keep it that way. They said therapy was supposed to help. They didn't expect Noah. Noah is the dangerous boy my parents warned me about. But the only one who'll listen. The only one who'll help me find the truth. I know every kiss, every promise, every touch is forbidden. But what if finding your destiny means breaking all the rules? A brave and powerful novel about loss, change and growing up, but most of all love."

Review 
I was really looking forward to reading Pushing the Limits but for some reason despite the praise it’s received from amazing authors and bloggers I love, I wasn’t expecting to love it quite as much as I did. I went into this book expecting to enjoy it, but I wasn’t expecting it to make me cry or to capture my heart.

I think the reason I loved Pushing the Limits so much is that I could relate to both of our main characters. Off topic, but relevant to this review all the same, I have scars on my arm that I got from a partner in an abusive relationship. Although there are only two of them and are not all over my arms like Echo’s and although Echo got hers from her mother not an abusive boyfriend, I’ve still experienced some of what she goes through. From the judgmental stares of people jumping to conclusions and suspecting self-harm because of where they are, to those sweltering summers spent in long sleeved clothes to cover them up. I understood completely not only Echo’s body image issues with her scars, but the feeling of somebody who you love and trust intentionally hurting you and the changes you go through as a person when something like that happens to you.

As well as the book being narrated by Echo it’s also narrated by Noah in alternating chapters. Like Echo, Noah has a whole lot of issues that no young person should have to deal with but the most prominent to his story is being separated from his two little brothers who are in foster care. Although nothing like this has happened to me personally I have a family member who has and so I know how messy, emotional, and complicated that whole situation is for everybody involved. The scenes with Noah and his little brothers never failed to bring a tear to my eye and touch my heart.

Although my experiences are vastly different to the characters in this book the feelings behind them weren’t all that different at all and so I connected with Noah and Echo in a rare and special way. I understood them and had empathy for their situations and really wanted the best for them both. My emotions were totally invested in this book and so I really connected with it and can see it holding a special place in my heart for years to come.

The romance in Pushing the Limits is hot, hot, hot! I’m not surprised that this book is blurbed by Simone Elkeles - one of my favourite authors, because the writing style and relationship between Echo and Noah reminded me of the Perfect Chemistry series. Noah could very well be a secret fourth Fuentes brother! Don’t get me wrong though Pushing the Limits is in no way a copycat and is unique in its own right, but if you’re a fan of Simone Elkeles then you’re going to love Katie McGarry!

Pushing the Limits has a great cast of characters who I feel in love with. Noah is a bad boy with a soft side that is brought out by his love for his brothers and Echo. Echo is feisty, smart and I admired her courage, as the book goes on she gets stronger and stronger and I respected her for facing her fears head on. There are so many great secondary characters too like Mrs Collins, Noah’s foster siblings and his little brothers.

I adored everything about this book and think it’s an amazing debut. It’s definitely one of my favourite contemps of 2012 and I already can’t wait for Dare You To a companion novel to Pushing the Limits to come out! Highly recommend to fans of hard hitting, edgy, contemporary and to anyone who loves a smouldering, sexy, consuming love story to boot!

Review for My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Dial Books
Release Date: 14th June 2012
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Summer, Romance, Family
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Source: Bought

Goodreads Summary:
"A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another

 “One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.” 

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them...until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over"

Review 
My Life Next Door is one of my favourite contemporary’s that I’ve read so far this summer and is a strong debut novel. I loved that this book instead of focusing on just one topic tackles lots of little ones the ones that pretty much every girl goes through as she grows up. My Life Next Door was a bundle of bittersweet learning curves all mixed in to one long hot summer.

Samantha is a heroine with a lot going on. Despite coming from a wealthy family with a mom working in politics, Samantha doesn’t take money for granted and is juggling several jobs this summer all whilst trying to support a friend with alcohol and drug addictions, her best friend whose growing increasingly more distant, and no one being around at home lately with her older sister making plans for the summer with her boyfriend and her single mother spending more and more time at work. During those first few lonely summer evenings Samantha watches from her roof her next door neighbours the Garrett family a noisy, messy and affectionate brood of eight ranging from all different ages and personalities, and their parents Mr and Mrs Garrett who are still very much in love. Samantha longs to be one of them as they are so different to her own family, and then one evening Jase Garrett climbs up to join her on her rooftop perch and through their budding summer romance introduces her to his charming if chaotic world.

The Garrett family completely stole the show in this book. Every single one of them has a distinct personality that’s different from their siblings and like Samantha I felt welcomed into their home and quickly became part of the family. The Garrett’s are the complete opposite to Samantha’s family, the house is lived in and although their not wealthy in money they are wealthy in love and I think that’s why Samantha’s initially so drawn to them. I loved the different personalities and closeness to this vibrant family and especially loved little George who is pretty much the cutest kid ever!

Jase and Samantha have the sweetest summer romance, the kind that every girl dreams of having, and I adored them both as characters. Samantha’s a really kind, generous, hardworking, girl who despite her privileged upbringing isn’t afraid of getting her hands dirty and is always willing to help others out and would much rather have her mom around more than the materialistic things that her mother’s job means they can afford. Jase was the ultimate boy next door sweet, kind, affectionate nothing is ever too much trouble for him and the way he respected and helped his parents and would be so loving and playful with his younger siblings really melted my heart. Jase is perfect first boyfriend material and his and Samantha’s relationship was such an accurate take on first love.

I absolutely loved everything about this book and think that if you love summer contemporary’s My Life Next Door needs to be on your reading pile this summer. Because this book covers a range of topics there’s something to offer everyone, it has the sweetest romance, loveable characters and the timeless moral of standing up for yourself even if it means standing against someone you love. I couldn’t get enough of the Garrett’s and this gorgeous summer romance and you won’t be able to either!

Review for On The Island by Tracey Garvis Graves

On The Island by Tracey Garvis Graves
Publisher: Penguin
Release Date: 16th August 2012
Genre: Fiction, Adult, Romance, Survival
Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"It would always be summer on the island...

When thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a summer job tutoring T.J. Callahan at his family's holiday home in the Maldives, she accepts without hesitation: a tropical island beats the library any day.

T.J. has no desire to leave town, not that anyone asked him. He's almost seventeen and if having had cancer wasn't bad enough, he now has to spend his first summer in remission with his family instead of his friends.

Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Marooned on an uninhabited island, Anna and T.J. work together to obtain water, food, fire and shelter but, as the days turn to weeks then months and finally years, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man..."

Review 
I have to admit that when this book came through my letterbox I hadn’t heard of it before and wasn’t sure if it was going to be my cup of tea. On the proof copy it talks about the book being hugely successful in the US with 5 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and film rights already sold so I decided to look online at some reviews and the hype that I found for this book overseas was staggering and convinced me that I needed to give this book a go.

I started reading On the Island that very same day and within only a few short chapters I could see what all the fuss was about. This book was totally gripping, I found myself reading late into the night, and was fitting in a few more pages whenever I could. I’m a sucker for a good love story and this book delivered that in a unique and original way.

The circumstances behind the book forces two people together who under normal circumstances most likely would never have gotten together. But life on a deserted island creates a situation like no other that not only brings TJ and Anna together but also creates an unshakeable bond between them. Although at its heart this book is a romance it’s also so much more than that. It’s a story of survival and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough as I went through the highs and lows of island life with Anna and TJ.

What initially put me off reading this novel was the age different between Anna and TJ and that the book begins with Anna being his teacher. I have to admit that I was worried that their relationship would feel wrong to me and the uninhabited island too farfetched a plot but it was so brilliantly done. Every step of their journey on the island and in their growing relationship felt so natural and right and was so well developed and believable that I quickly fell in love with TJ and Anna and the new home and lives they build together on the island.

On the Island is one of those books that totally transports you to the books setting and so I felt all of the feelings that the characters felt. I would feel desperate when one of them got sick or if it hadn’t rained that day and they didn’t have enough water. And I’d rejoice with Anna and TJ on days when they’d catch food or when something useful would wash up on the shore. This book was a rollercoaster of emotion and the uncertainty to if they’d ever be rescued or even survive made this book a total page turner.

Ultimately On the Island was an excellent surprise that I’m so glad I gave a chance. If you’re looking for a gorgeous romance with all the intensity and uncertainty of a thriller, or are just generally after something a little bit different and gripping for your holidays this summer On the Island comes with a high recommendation from me.

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