"Into the Wild Nerd Yonder" by Julie Halpern

It’s Jessie’s sophomore year of high school. A self-professed “mathelete,” she isn’t sure where she belongs. Her two best friends have transformed themselves into punks and one of them is going after her longtime crush. Her beloved older brother will soon leave for college (and in the meantime has shaved his mohawk and started dating . . . the prom princess!) . . .
Things are changing fast. Jessie needs new friends. And her quest is a hilarious tour through high-school clique-dom, with a surprising stop along the way—the Dungeons and Dragons crowd, who out-nerd everyone. Will hanging out with them make her a nerd, too? And could she really be crushing on a guy with too-short pants and too-white gym shoes?  
If you go into the wild nerd yonder, can you ever come back?

Into the Wild Nerd Yonder was my first Julie Halpern book, but I can definitely say it won't be my last. It's about Jessie Sloan, a high school sophomore who gets fed up with her fake friends and decides to find some new ones. The author got inside Jessie's head really well, making her voice very realistic. Jessie is probably one of my all-time favourite narrators; she's funny, unique, wholly likable and good. She wanted to well at school and have friends she could trust and who liked her for who she was. Her brother Barrett (another great character, and I loved their sibling dynamic, it was so refreshing) was into the whole punk scene (complete with orange mohawk) but she didn't get into that, preferring instead to do her own thing, which included being a mathematics geek and designing/sewing her own skirts (which sounded awesome, I must say). When her best friends Bizza and Char become obsessed with Barrett's friends (including Jessie's long-term crush Van), and Bizza knowingly hooks up with Van, Jessie ditches them (admittedly after a bit of dithering and floundering) in favour of the "nerd" crowd, who play Dungeons and Dragons. This book provided a good insight into the game, which I didn't know a lot about before, and showed Jessie that it was okay not to be seen as "cool". (Her father, friend Polly, and even her brother had played it at least once before). At the same time, Barrett sort of parallels Jessie's change of social scene by leaving his band, the Crudhoppers, and beginning to date the Homecoming Queen, Chloe Romano, who unexpectedly turns out to be very intelligent and a feminist. Jessie finds romance of her own with Henry, a very sweet boy (with too-short trousers and very white gym shoes) who she plays D&D with.
Overall, this book was brilliant! I will definitely be re-reading this one at some point in the future.

Rating: A+

In My Mailbox: What to Expect When You're Not Expecting Much

So, viewers of the world, I have decided to try something new... sort of. I'm going to start doing In My Mailbox posts (first started by Kristi over at The Story Siren) to show what reviews are coming up next and hopefully introduce you to some new reads! I've got 11 to show you (I recently ordered a load of American titles from Amazon) today. Some are Kindle Editions but most are physical copies. If you're a member of Goodreads, there are links to the page of each book so you can add it. If you're not a Goodreads member, you can still follow the link and read more about the book, including the full synopsis and reviews. I'll also include bits about the story and/or characters. Happy reading!

WANT by Stephanie Lawton
                                         

Goodreads page

Main character: Julianne Casquette
Setting: Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Alabama, USA
Released: June 6th 2012
Themes: Romance, Drama, Music, Family






WANDERLOVE by Kirsten Hubbard

Goodreads page

Main character: Bria Sandoval 
Setting: Central America; Southern California, USA
Released: March 13th 2012
Themes: Travel, Romance, Adventure, Self-discovery







MY LIFE NEXT DOOR by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Goodreads page

Main character: Samantha Reed
Setting: Connecticut, USA
Released: June 14th 2012
Themes: Family, Romance, Drama, Coming of age







PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ by A.S. King

Goodreads page

Main character: Vera Dietz
Setting: USA
Released: October 12th 2010
Themes: Mystery, Friendship, Abuse, (minor) Romance







NEVER ENOUGH by Denise Jaden

Goodreads page

Main character: Loann Rochester
Setting: USA
Released: July 10th 2012
Themes: Family, Sisters, Romance, Mental illness







HOW TO SAVE A LIFE by Sara Zarr

Goodreads page

Main characters: Jill MacSweeney and Mandy Kalinowski
Setting: USA
Released: October 18th 2011
Themes: Family, Parenting, Coming of age, Romance







IF I LIE by Corrine Jackson 

Goodreads page

Main character: Sophie Topper Quinn
Setting: Texas, USA
Released: August 28th 2012
Themes: Military, Friendship, Romance, War, Drama







PAPER TOWNS by John Green

Goodreads page

Main character: Quentin Jacobsen
Setting: Orlando, Florida, USA
Released: October 16th 2008
Themes: Mystery, Romance, Adventure, Coming of age







THE WAITING SKY by Lara Zielin

Goodreads page

Main character: Jane McAllister
Setting: USA
Released: August 2nd 2012
Themes: Drama, Romance, Family, Adventure

By the way, I think this cover is gorgeous!





FALL FOR ANYTHING by Courtney Summers

Goodreads page

Main character: Eddie Reeves
Setting: USA or Canada
Released: December 21st 2010
Themes: Mystery, Family, Death, Romance

My third Courtney Summers novel, so I already know I won't be disappointed!





HARMONIC FEEDBACK by Tara Kelly

Goodreads page

Main character: Drea Horvath
Setting: Bellingham, Washington, USA
Released: May 25th 2010
Themes: Music, Friendship, Romance, Family

"Hold Still" by Nina LaCour

I am a girl ready to explode into nothing.

That night Ingrid told Caitlin, I'll go wherever you go. But by dawn, Ingrid was dead and Caitlin was alone. Suddenly Caitlin has to deal with a completely unfamiliar life - a life without the art, the laughter, the music, and the joy she shared with her best friend. When she finds the journal Ingrid left behind, Caitlin gets a chance to learn about another side of her friend; and the journal becomes her guide as she deals with forging new friendships, finding a first love, and learning to live without the one person who knew her best.


The novel opens as the summer of Caitlin's sophomore year is approaching, and her best friend Ingrid has committed suicide. Caitlin's life "holds still" as she cannot move forward and cannot look back. When she finds a journal that Ingrid left for her, this makes her death even more raw, but also helps Caitlin understand Ingrid's feelings before her suicide, and gives her an insight into her friend that she never had before. As Ingrid writes, you're looking for answers but there are no answers. When Caitlin returns in the fall, she meets Dylan, a new girl at school who slowly becomes her friend, and Maddy, Dylan's girlfriend who also helps Caitlin recover after her tragedy. Caitlin also gets to know Jayson, the boy Ingrid had a crush on, and forms her own crush on Taylor, the popular boy who's not a stereotype. Her photography teacher Ms. Delani starts the year off by ignoring Caitlin completely, but then reaches out to her after accepting that she has not handled her grief over Ingrid, her favourite and most promising student, appropriately. Ms. Delani then surprises Caitlin by saying that she is also one of her favourite students.
I really liked this book. It was well written, sensitive to the delicate subject matter, and it made me feel things. This is always a good sign. I understood Caitlin, the main character, and I rooted for her throughout the whole book as she tried to deal with her grief. What she did with Ingrid's diary was risky, but I think it made sure people still had pieces of Ingrid whilst giving Caitlin closure. She had some unusual coping mechanisms and sometimes she was a bit annoying - especially when she fell out with Dylan for no reason - but she really was torn apart by the loss of her best friend. The supporting characters were well-rounded and three-dimensional, but I wanted more Taylor page-time! He obviously cared a lot for Caitlin and I liked how she gradually opened up to him more over the course of the book. At first I didn't really like Ingrid, but then as more of her story was told and her character developed, I really felt for her and what she was feeling. Nina LaCour really got under her skin and made her presence deeply felt, despite her being an absent character. She wasn't defined by her suicide and I liked that.
Nina LaCour's writing was incredible; it was sparse but got straight to the point. The only time there was much description was when Caitlin was talking about her hobbies; photography and building her treehouse. Her treehouse sounded amazing! Caitlin's love for photography was so clear. She obviously felt a deep connection to Ingrid when taking and developing pictures. What she did for her final photography project was so heartbreaking, but also hopeful at the same time.
Overall, this was a haunting, compelling debut, and I look forward to reading Nina LaCour's most recent novel, The Disenchantments, in the near future.

Rating: A+

"Revived" by Cat Patrick

Description from the book:

The world fades to nothing, and before I have the chance to think another thought... I'm dead.
My name is Daisy West and my whole life is a lie. I have died five times. I've been Revived five times. With each revival comes a new name, a new town... a new life. 

But this time I won't let myself die. This time, I've found a love that I can't let go. This time, I'm going to make my life my own. 



After reading Cat Patrick's debut Forgotten last year, I had high hopes for Revived. Whilst I didn't enjoy it as much as Forgotten, it was still an engaging and thought provoking read. 

The novel starts with fifteen year old Daisy dying for the fifth time. She's part of a top-secret government program that tests a drug called Revive which can bring people back when they have died. Daisy is one of the cases and she has been revived five times. She lives with two government agents, Mason and Cassie, who act as her "parents" to the outside world. After she dies for the fifth time and is consequently revived, the Appleby "family" move to Omaha, Nebraska, and change their surname (as they do every time they are relocated) to West. Daisy starts at a new school and meets new friends, namely siblings Audrey and Matt McKean. Matt and Daisy have a sweet romance, but Audrey is hiding something that changes Daisy's view of Revive, life, and death. 
At first I found it difficult to connect with Daisy; she was so passive and flippant in the beginning, like, "oh, I've just died, but it's okay, there's a drug that'll save me, like always". At some point, probably when she and Audrey became closer, something clicked and I ended up really liking Daisy. Audrey was a lovely character, so cheerful despite her fate, and her story really was heartbreaking. I'd have liked to have known more about her and what her life was like before Daisy came to Omaha, though. Matt was totally swoon-worthy, and surprisingly realistic in such a situation. I really enjoyed reading about his relationship with Daisy as it unfolded, and some of the things they said/thought about each other were so cute! 
I really liked Daisy's relationship with Mason, her pretend father. They obviously cared a lot about each other and was really pleased when they got stronger towards the end, after all that happened with the program. Her friendship with Megan was cool, and I wanted to read their blog!
I also appreciate the talent that Cat Patrick has for writing creepy and sinister characters, namely Cassie and "God". She really made me feel quite uncomfortable in some scenes, and I thought twice about reading this at night! 
The only problem I had with this book, and it is quite a large one, is that it took a while to read, despite it being only 326 pages. I think this was because it dragged a little at times when there wasn't much going on plot-wise, but the stuff written in those pages was necessary to the outcome of the story.
Overall, an interesting and satisfying read from Cat Patrick, who I will definitely be reading more of, despite the moments when it seemed a little slow.


Rating: A-

"The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

Description from Goodreads:

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.
Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.


I first spotted this on a book blog, and I liked the sound of it. Eventually, I got it, and it stayed on my TBR shelf for a while, until finally I picked it up and started reading. Let me tell you, I was hooked from page one. The writing was like nothing I'd ever experienced before, and Hazel was an engaging, empathetic character who I wanted to be my friend. Unlike so many YA characters, she was intelligent, which is something that authors say their characters are, but don't give much proof of. But anyway, Hazel was funny (I love John Green's humour!) and she loved reading, something which I identify greatly with ( :D !!). Augustus Waters - excuse me while I swoon - was like the jelly to Hazel's peanut butter. They just clicked, and they got each other immediately. Augustus was so sweet and clever and funny and generally gorgeous that I hope there's an Augustus out there for me ;-) Their whole relationship was beautifully done. The thing about this book is that you think it's going to go one way, and then there's a massive twist halfway though and it goes the other way completely, and my heart just broke for Hazel and Augustus, because really, it was so unfair. They really were star-crossed lovers. This book made me laugh and cry all at once, which is a sign of a really excellent book, don't you think? If you haven't read this one, I suggest you go out and buy it right now - you won't regret it. 
I've since purchased one of John Green's other novels, Paper Towns, so expect a review in the near future. P.S. here is one of my favourite passages, a conversation between Hazel and Augustus, to show you what I mean: 
“May I see you again?" he asked. There was an endearing nervousness in his voice.
I smiled. "Sure."
"Tomorrow?" he asked.
"Patience, grasshopper," I counseled. "You don't want to seem overeager. 
"Right, that's why I said tomorrow," he said. "I want to see you again tonight. But I'm willing to wait all night and much of tomorrow." I rolled my eyes. "I'm serious," he said. 
"You don't even know me," I said. I grabbed the book from the center console. "How about I call you when I finish this?"
"But you don't even have my phone number," he said.
"I strongly suspect you wrote it in this book." 
He broke out into that goofy smile. "And you say we don't know each other.”


Rating: A+

"The Anti-Prom" by Abby McDonald

Description from Goodreads:

Popular girl Bliss Merino is ready to have the perfect prom. But when she catches her boyfriend making out with her best friend in the back of the limo, she has only one thought: revenge...Bad girl Jolene Nelson is the last person anyone expected to see at prom. Yet here she is, dressed in pink ruffles and feeling like a fool for believing that he would actually show up...Meg Rose Zuckerman is ready to stop being a wallflower and start experiencing life firsthand. But when her date stands her up, she finds herself on the outside yet again...

The Anti-Prom was a straight-up fun read that I liked. It's basically the story of three high school girls from three different 'echelons' of popularity, "bad girl" Jolene, a senior, who has family trouble and wants to get away to college, Bliss, a junior, who's popular and spoiled, who wants to get revenge on her cheating boyfriend, and Meg, also a junior, who is recovering from a tragedy and just wants to be brave. The book starts with Bliss finding her ass-hat boyfriend Cameron cheating with one of her slutty friends, and so she plans a night of revenge against the girl, but wants it all to be low-key because she's so obsessed with popularity that she doesn't want to leave the clique that she's worked so hard to be part of. I didn't really like Bliss for most of the book, as she came across as being snobby and spiteful, but there were a few times when she was generally nice, and more than a few times when she deserved a slap. She was downright nasty to Meg at one point. However, her tactics to get revenge were rather amusing, if slightly unbelievable, but hey, that's what fiction's about, right?

Jolene was the rebel who wanted to escape town, and I identified with that part of her. She was pretty dislikable though too, at times. Her romantic storyline was cool, and believable, and I really rooted for her and Dante to work out their problems. Her issues with her father and his new family were also well-written and truthful. 

Meg was the character I most identified with, even though at times I thought she was a doormat. She wanted friends, but she didn't know how to make them, and was pretty whiny about it, but aren't we all? Her romance with Scott was cute and I wanted to know their story after the book finished. 

Not all problems were resolved, but I liked the way the book ended, and how Abby McDonald left her characters. Overall, a likable and funny book from an author I'll be reading more of.

Rating: B+ 

"The Nature of Jade" by Deb Caletti

Description from Goodreads:
"I am not my illness. 'Girl with Anxiety,' 'Trauma of the Week' -- no. I hate stuff like that. Everyone, everyone has their issue. But the one thing my illness did make me realize is how necessary it is to ignore the dangers of living in order to live. And how much trouble you can get into if you can't."
Jade DeLuna is too young to die. She knows this, and yet she can't quite believe it, especially when the terrifying thoughts, loss of breath, and dizzy feelings come. Since being diagnosed with Panic Disorder, she's trying her best to stay calm, and visiting the elephants at the nearby zoo seems to help. That's why Jade keeps the live zoo webcam on in her room, and that's where she first sees the boy in the red jacket. A boy who stops to watch the elephants. A boy carrying a baby.

His name is Sebastian, and he is raising his son alone. Jade is drawn into Sebastian's cozy life with his son and his activist grandmother on their Seattle houseboat, and before she knows it, she's in love. With this boy who has lived through harder times than anyone she knows. This boy with a past.

Jade knows the situation is beyond complicated, but she hasn't felt this safe in a long time. She owes it all to Sebastian, her boy with the great heart. Her boy who is hiding a terrible secret. A secret that will force Jade to decide between what is right, and what feels right.


After seeing this book in America a couple of years ago, I knew I wanted to read it, but I had to wait to get my Kindle in order to do so. Jade was a character I knew I could connect with, not just because she had anxiety, but because she felt like a real teenage girl. In so many books, real girls don't exist. Their lives revolve around parties and boys and gossip, and they don't think about wider issues. Jade was one of those people who thinks about more than her life. She thought about others.

Jade and Sebastian were a great couple together, and Bo was the cutest! I knew I wanted their story to have a happy ending, and so I was a bit surprised by it being rather abrupt. Also, the "terrible secret" that Sebastian was hiding didn't come across as being that terrible, to be honest. In a way, I kind of expected it, even though it sort of came out of nowhere.
The other characters were great and well developed, like Damian, Oliver, Jade's father, and her friends at school. But, I really could not stand Jade's mother! She didn't think about her daughter at all, really, and she seemed quite self-centred and annoying. I think this added to the story though, and made it more realistic.
Overall, a really great story about a girl growing up and figuring out life for herself.


Rating: A