Flawless, 3 of 52

Flawless

By: Sara Shepard

Publisher: Harper Collins
Isbn: 978-0060887353

Length: 352 pages
Read: January 10, 2012 to January 17, 2012
Book Challenge: 3 of 52

I am not going to write much on here about Flawless though because it is the second in the Pretty Little Liars series. But first I off I most confess, that I am now slightly addicted to the series and show. Like the title states this book is really about how the four main girls (Aria, Hanna, Spencer, and Emily) portray themselves as being flawless.

In flawless, like in book one, the reader still floats in and out of this girls everyday lives, while they are being threatened by the mysterious person known as A. However, there seems to be a bigger focus on Hannah and Emily rather than on Spencer and Aria. This I assume has to do with this novel being entitled Flawless. Not because Hanna and Emily are perfect, but because they are the two who are masking there "flaws" from the world.

We finally find out how Hanna magically became popular and beautiful over a short summer. As well as getting a glimpse into the inner workings of her home life, both through her mother and father.

As for Emily, who is not really flawed, she continues to think that something might be wrong with her, because of these strange new feelings she is experiencing for her new best friend Maya.

The girls friendship slowly begins to rekindle, as their darkest secrets from book one begin to surface. A does not leave anyone standing, and by the end of the book you begin to question who can really be trusted and who can not.

Sara Shepard does a fantastic job at keeping the reader guessing. While she leads you down one path, she keeps A jumping at you from another. And once you think you figured out who A is she sends a huge twist at you out of no where.

Next up:
A Million Suns
Beth Revis

The Future of Us, 2 of 25

The Future of Us

By: Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Publisher: Razorbill
Isbn: 978-1595144911

Length: 320 pages
Read: January 8, 2012 to January 10,
2012
Book Challenge: 2 of 52

I know I said I would post more frequently, however life gets in the way at times and playing catch up at work, school, and posting here can be hard to do at times. I also wanted to wait to post my review on this book after the Bookclub I host met.

From the moment I read that this book was coming out I could not wait. I am a huge fan of 13 Reasons Why, Jay Asher’s first novel. If you have not read that book I suggest that you do.The book is just fantastic.

The book is set in 1996 and is told in alternating perspectives between Josh and Emma. Josh’s family receives an AOL disc in the mail, not having a computer he, takes it to his former best friend, and next door neighbor, Emma who just received a computer as a birthday gift. She later installs the AOL and logs in (through you guessed it dial-up!), when she is finally connected a website called Facebook appears on her screen. Here she is able to read status updates and posts from her future self, 15 years from now.

I always show a little hesitation towards books that have co-authorships. I tend to be able to pick out where the authors switched, and dwell over it. I just do not like it. Most the time you can tell that authors disagree on a plot point or a way a character should act. Sometimes you can almost read the disagreement. This time though I was surprised. I really think that the alternation perspectives helped blur the line between Carolyn and Jay, and not just the authors but with the main characters as well.

Normally I dislike books that overly abuse pop-culture references, almost beating the reader into the time period. The seamless integration was amazing. Once the tone was set I found myself missing the references to my childhood and wanting them back because they truly added something personal to the story.

I enjoyed how the characters could not help themselves at times to change parts of their futures and would get emotionally attached to other parts. It was fantastic how the authors portrayed the ripple effect in life, how spilling a vase of water on the ground could change who you are married to or how simply smiling at the person you will one day marry could change the location in which you vacation 10 years down the line.

This book does lack in some locations though. Towards the middle of the book you start to feel disconnected from Facebook, not to say that it is a bad thing, I just found myself wanting more. This goes the same way with the pop-culture references. I found myself also looking deeper into the meaning of everything, the way I did with 13 Reasons Why, however I often came up empty handed. Hough in the end I was left with a warm feeling and wanting yet again to read more by Jay Asher.

book 1 of 52

Pretty Little Liars

By: Sara Shepard

Isbn: 978-0060887322

Length: 304 pages

Read: January 1, 2012 to January 8, 2012

Book Challenge: 1 of 52

Like I stated in my previous post on ya-bookends that I would be picking the blog back up and posting reviews on the books I have read. I am also starting a personal challenge that I think will help me keep up with posting. Every week, for this year, I will read a book and post a review on it. I am starting a little late, sadly. I have already read 3 books and I just have been struggling with getting time to type out my reviews. I am finally getting a moment to post about book 1 of my challenge.

I admit I would have never read this book if I had not watched the show first. I was not a fan of the covers (the plastic barbie-like girl on the cover and on the back a real version of the doll), I just found it a little creepy, and lets face the facts I am a cover snob. I admit it, I do judge a book by it's cover. However, I was able to pass this because I enjoyed the show quiet a bit.

The book starts off rather slowing following the lives of four girls; Aria Montgomery, Hanna Marin, Spencer Hastings, and Emily Fields. All of the girls share a common thread, their best friend went missing three years ago, taking a deep and dark secret with her, one secret from each girl. Now all the girls are attending and elite school in Rosewood, Penn. They each begin to receive messages from A, the messages all contain hints at past lies and secrets, as well as hints of new ones that are quickly forming.

Once I started to get into the book, I quickly discovered that this book is a nice mix between Veronica Mars, a sassy television detective, and Gossip Girl, a book series about Manhattan's teen elite. Since the girls were the queen bees of their school a lot of product reference is tossed around, normally this bothers me but it really helps the reader understand each girl deeper, and also allows the reader to understand each families financial status.

Another amazing surprise of the book was how it show cased the imperfections in life. How the perfect can even go into a downward spiral because of one lie or mistake. Each of the girls is dealing with a situation that is difficult for most adults, not to say they are smoothly getting through life but they are dealing with life as it is. This is nice and refreshing, compared to most young adult novels.

Over all I would say this book has a little bit of everything. I was laughing and scared for the girls all at once. I suggestion both the show and book for ever who wants a fun series. Though please if you read the book and start the show or vice versa, please do not let the characters physical traits through you off, they look complete different.