Review: Hold Still

Title: Hold Still
Author: Nina LaCour
Publication date: October 20th, 2009

Summary:
dear caitlin.
there are so many things
that i want so badly to tell you
but i just can't

That night Ingrid told Caitlin, I'll go wherever you go. But by dawn Ingrid, and her promise, were gone, and Caitlin was alone. Ingrid's suicide immobilizes Caitlin, leaving her unsure of her place in a new life she hardly recognizes. A life without the art, the laughter, the music, the joy she shared with her best friend.

But Ingrid left more than a memory behind. Devastating and hopeful, playful and hopeless. In words and drawings, Ingrid documented a painful farewell in her journal - just for Caitlin. Journeying through Ingrid's final days, Caitlin fights back through unspeakable loss to find renewed hope.

Review:
Hold Still is a beautiful novel about a girl struggling with the suicide of her best friend. It was very emotional and powerful and it's one of those books that I know is going to stick in my head for long after I've read it. I especially loved two things about the novel, one being the fact that it's divided into seasons. The seasons seemed to mark different periods in Caitlin's life as she dealt with the depression, and I liked seeing the growth in each one. The other thing I really liked was how Ingrid's drawings and handwritten journal entries were incorporated, making the novel seem more personal. Hold Still was a beautifully written, captivating book that really let me see how it would feel to be in Caitlin's shoes. It's very raw and very real, and a book that I would definitely recommend. I really can't say enough about it.

Characters: 9/10
Plot: 9/10
Originality: 8/10
Writing: 10/10
Overall rating: 9/10

Review: Muchacho

Title: Muchacho
Author: Louanne Johnson
Publication date: September 8th, 2009

Summary:
Eddie Corazon is angry. He’s also very smart. But he’s working pretty hard at being a juvenile delinquent. He blows off school, even though he’s a secret reader. He hangs with his cousins, who will always back him up—when they aren’t in jail. T

Then along comes Lupe, who makes his blood race. She sees something in Eddie he doesn’t even see in himself. A heart, and a mind, and something more: a poet. But in Eddie’s world, it’s a thin line between tragedy and glory. And what goes down is entirely in Eddie’s hands.

Gripping, thought-provoking, and hopeful, Muchacho is a rare and inspiring story about one teen’s determination to fight his circumstances and shape his own destiny.

Review:
*I reviewed this book for BookDivas.com, so the review I'm posting here is the exact one I posted there.*

Though it wouldn't have been a book I'd buy, I liked this book and I'm glad I got the chance to read it. It was written almost like a journal entry, or like it was directly to the reader from Eddie. It had a raw kind of writing that made it seem as if I were reading a memoir of someone's rough life instead of a fiction book. I loved the glimpse that I got into Eddie's tough world of struggling and delinquency. This is one of those books that, while you might not necessarily love it, it's worth reading for the experience it puts you through.

Characters: 6/10
Plot: 6/10
Originality: 7/10
Writing: 8/10
Overall rating: 6.5/10

In My Mailbox (11/2 - 11/7)

This week, I got two great books. One that I've been eagerly awaiting:

Hold Still by Nina Lacour

And another that I already have a copy of:

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Would anyone be interested in a giveaway of Evermore, or do most of you already own it? If I get enough interest, I'll hold a giveaway for it in a few weeks.

What amazing books came in your mailboxes this week? I've kind of been out of the loop for a few weeks, and I'm trying to really get back into blogging more. I'd love to see what books you all have been getting recently.

Winner of 100 followers comment contest!

It's time to announce the winner of my comment contest for reaching 100 followers, for a copy of Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott! Thanks to everybody for entering :) And the winner is entry #36....


Arielle from B.A.M. Book Reviews!

Congrats Arielle! Send me an email to claim your prize :)

If I don't hear from her within 72 hours, another winner will be chosen. Thanks again to everyone who entered and posted about my contest!

Want to trade books?

I'm in the process of doing a thorough cleaning of my bookshelf, so I thought I'd post a list of books I'm willing to trade/sell here. :) I'd prefer trades, and it doesn't have to be even because my main goal is to get rid of these books and make sure they have loving homes. So if you've got a book I really want, I'm probably willing to trade 2 or 3 books for it. Comment here or send an email if you're interested in any of these, along with what you have available, and we'll see what we can work out. I'll edit this post as I do more cleaning.

Paperbacks:
A Time For Dancing by Davida Wills Hurwin
Love Lessons by David Belbin
The Best Little Girl in the World by Steven Levenkron
Learning to Swim by Ann Turner
Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger
Chill by Deborah Reber

Hardbacks:
Trash by Sharon Darrow (signed)

ARCs:
Adios to All the Drama by Diana Rodriguez Wallach (signed)

Blog Tour Review: Give Up The Ghost

Title: Give Up The Ghost
Author: Megan Crewe
Publication date: September 15th, 2009

Summary:
Cass McKenna much prefers ghosts over “breathers.” Ghosts are uncomplicated and dependable, and they know the dirt on everybody…and Cass loves dirt. She’s on a mission to expose the dirty secrets of the poseurs in her school.

But when the vice president of the student council discovers her secret, Cass’s whole scheme hangs in the balance. Tim wants her to help him contact his recently deceased mother, and Cass reluctantly agrees.

Review:
I think this is my new favorite ghost story. It's hard for me to believe that this is Megan Crewe's first novel. It was a well balanced mix of fun and some not so fun moments, and at the end I was left with that feeling of wanting to go back and read the whole book again. Everything was completely believable, and this is a great ghost story for someone who maybe wants to get into them but doesn't want anything scary. There was absolutely nothing scary about it. I personally enjoyed getting to know the ghosts that Cass talked to. The only people we really get to know are Cass and Tim, but I still loved all of the supporting characters as well. Give Up The Ghost is both charming and serious, and I think it's one of those books that everyone should give a chance even if it doesn't sound like something you'd really be into. You may be pleasantly surprised just as I was.

Reviewed as part of One ARC Tours.

Characters: 8/10
Plot: 8/10
Originality: 7/10
Writing: 8/10
Overall rating: 8/10

Review: Rage: A Love Story

Title: Rage: A Love Story
Author: Julie Anne Peters
Publication date: September 8th, 2009

Summary: Johanna is steadfast, patient, reliable; the go-to girl, the one everyone can count on. But always being there for others can’t give Johanna everything she needs— it can’t give her Reeve Hartt.

Reeve is fierce, beautiful, wounded, elusive; a flame that draws Johanna’s fluttering moth. Johanna is determined to get her, against all advice, and to help her, against all reason. But love isn’t always reasonable, right?

In the precarious place where attraction and need collide, a teenager experiences the dark side of a first love, and struggles to find her way into a new light.

Review:
My review may be a bit biased because of my love of everything by Julie Anne Peters (and I also think the cover is gorgeous), but I found this book to be amazing and unique. Not just because it features a lesbian relationship, but also because of the realistic and somewhat scary glimpse it gives us of dating abuse. Nothing was sugar-coated, and it was intense to read. I could easily sympathize with Johanna and all of the situations that she had to deal with. The ending didn't quite wrap it up as well as I would have liked, but it was still satisfying. The writing was simple and nothing spectacular, but the story itself more than made up for that. I was actually a bit scared by the time I finished reading, just because of the intensity of it, but I will definitely read it again. It's a great book that shows how dangerous dating violence can really be, and that it doesn't only happen in heterosexual relationships.

Characters: 8/10
Plot: 9/10
Originality: 8/10
Writing: 7/10
Overall rating: 8/10