ARC Review: The Summer I Found You

Author: Jolene Perry 

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Albert Whitman Teen

Release: Mar 1st 2014

Source: Netgalley

Pages: 256 (ebook)

( Amazon | Goodreads )

All they have in common is that they're less than perfect. And all they're looking for is the perfect distraction.

Kate's dream boyfriend has just broken up with her and she's still reeling from her diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Aidan planned on being a lifer in the army and went to Afghanistan straight out of high school. Now he's a disabled young veteran struggling to embrace his new life. When Kate and Aidan find each other neither one wants to get attached. But could they be right for each other after all?

I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed reading The Summer I Found You, even though my analytical left brain is yelling furiously at my silly emotional right brain the whole time. It is so contradictory that I find myself bewildered about how I can possibly like it when I see its problems as plain as day. Nevertheless, it is, without a doubt, one of the more delightful reading experiences I have undergone lately and I appreciate this lightening of mood if just for its entertainment value.

Waiting on Wednesday (10) : Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Title: Don't Look Back

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Release: April 15th 2014

Pages: 384 (hardcover)

( Amazon | Goodreads )

Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

I have not read anything Jennifer L. Armentrout before, mostly because her books are almost always paranormal romance which I'm not a huge fan of. Her newest fiction Don't Look Back however is a YA contemporary romance mixed with hints of mystery thriller. That is something I'm very curious about. Since contemporary romance and mystery thriller are genres I would like to explore more in the future, Don't Look Back being a blend of both inevitably ended up on my radar and I certainly do not regret this discovery.

What's your most anticipating book right now?

Review: Across the Universe (Across the Universe, #1)

Author: Beth Revis
Series: Across the Universe, #1
Publisher: Razorbill
Release: Jan 11th 2011
Source: Purchased
Pages: 416 (ebook)
( Amazon | Goodreads )

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder....

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, 300 years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end 50 years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Set against the backdrop of space with a tinge of mystery, Across the Universe is the first book in Beth Revis' bestselling sci-fi dystopian trilogy and undoubtedly has one of the most intriguing premises among YA novels. I mean, seriously, who wouldn't love a story using a spaceship as its center stage? Though despite the inspiring originality, Across the Universe failed miserably to capture my attention. Not impressed. That is all I have to say about this book.

A Monthly Round Up (3) : February

A Monthly Round Up is a meme hosted at Feed Me Books Now!!!. The purpose of this meme is to sum up the month's blogging in one post.

School work has really been taking a toll on me lately. As you may have noticed, there weren't that many posts throughout this month on Spare Reads. Less reviews, less memes, less everything. :( It is much more difficult than I thought to balance between real life stress and blogs, especially when I'm still somewhat new to this community. One thing I know for sure is that I do not want to slip into a blogging slump or let blogging become a burden. Therefore, I will read whenever I can and try my best to share with you my thoughts! Hopefully with some bookish discussions here and there too :D 

Waiting on Wednesday (9) : The Ring and the Crown (The Ring and the Crown, #1) by Melissa de la Cruz

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Title: The Ring and the Crown

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Series: The Ring and the Crown, #1

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Release: April 1st 2014

Pages: 384 (hardcover)

( Amazon | Goodreads )

Princess Marie-Victoria, heir to the Lily Throne, and Aelwyn Myrddn, bastard daughter of the Mage of England, grew up together. But who will rule, and who will serve?

Quiet and gentle, Marie has never lived up to the ambitions of her mother, Queen Eleanor the Second, Supreme Ruler of the Franco-British Empire. With the help of her Head Merlin, Emrys, Eleanor has maintained her stranglehold on the world's only source of magic. She rules the most powerful empire the world has ever seen.

But even with the aid of Emrys' magic, Eleanor's extended lifespan is nearing its end. The princess must marry and produce an heir or the Empire will be vulnerable to its greatest enemy, Prussia. The two kingdoms must unite to end the war, and the only solution is a match between Marie and Prince Leopold VII, heir to the Prussian throne. But Marie has always loved Gill, her childhood friend and soldier of the Queen's Guard.

Together, Marie and Aelwyn, a powerful magician in her own right, come up with a plan. Aelwyn will take on Marie's face, allowing the princess to escape with Gill and live the quiet life she's always wanted. And Aelwyn will get what she's always dreamed of--the chance to rule. But the court intrigue and hunger for power in Lenoran England run deeper than anyone could imagine. In the end, there is only rule that matters in Eleanor's court: trust no one.

I have always been fond of historical fantasies. Adding in magic and court conspiracies, The Ring and the Crown quickly grabbed my attention. With a princess who would rather choose love than power and a bastard daughter who is too ambitious for her own good, nothing in the court of Queen Eleanor would be as easy and peaceful as it seems. I imgaine Melissa de la Cruz would portray Marie and Aelwyn through dual POVs, though I do sense more emphasis on Marie's struggles, so perhaps we will be getting a single perspective after all.

What are you waiting on today?