Book Review: Loving Emily

Loving Emily by Anne Pfeffer

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (November 17, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1466341823
• ISBN-13: 978-1466341821

Ryan Mills is torn with guilt over the death of his best friend, and it's all because of Emily Wintraub. If Ryan hadn't seen those incredible gray-blue eyes, hadn't pegged her as a Potentially Amazing Woman, he would never have gone looking for her at the party that night. He would never have left his wasted friend Michael alone, when Michael needed him and asked him to stay. And if Ryan hadn't left, Michael would never have driven off, totaled his car, and taken the cosmic rocket ride into death.

As far as Ryan's concerned, when you’ve done something terrible, you don’t deserve to be happy. He tries not to fall for Emily, but he can't help it. Before long, he is "completely, gonzo, out-of-control in love." Ryan then learns that Michael died with a secret. Still grieving, he feels compelled to take on his friend's unfinished business.

When Emily begins to question where his commitments really lie—with her or with Michael’s memory—Ryan is forced to examine his choices. What does he owe to Michael, to Emily, and to himself?

I agree with another reviewer that the cover, title, and description are actually misleading. This book isn’t just about “Loving Emily”, it’s about coming to an age, loss, family, grief, guilt, and love. This book was so much more, and a truly inspiring and thought-provoking read.

Ms. Pfeffers created a main protagonist out of a boy’s perspectives- Ryan so perfectly. I can’t help but fall in love with him. His sweet, nice, and would try to do the right thing. A good protagonist and a nice cast of secondary characters, an interesting plot and easy-to-relate-to conflicts makes this book a must-read. His character was so strong, I can’t help but wish a guy like this exist..:)

The family conflict which was apparent in this book, is a situation many could relate to, Ryan’s parents are always almost never home, leaving him and his younger siblings with Rosetta (their housekeeper). It was perfectly pictured how this kind of home affected Ryan so much, where parents unintentionally ignores their children.

The friendship between Ryan and Michael is realistic. I sometimes look forward to Ryan’s musings about their past adventures. Ryan’s grief for the loss is genuine, and I felt for him deeply. It was also so good of Ryan to try to settle Michael’s unfinished business, which I think became the very foundation of this book.

Even though Emily got the title of the book, I don’t think I really like her. She was not portrayed as super perfect, which is good, but she is not that nice too. Also, I think the development of the romance was instantaneous. I know Ryan has his eyes set for this girl long before the accident, but their actual interactions was just that party, and it was just a couple of minutes, and then the next thing I knew, they were a couple. ,I’m a little too harsh here, maybe I was just jealous of Emily..lol… Ryan likes and respects her a lot… But honestly, the author should have credit for this, since if Emily’s character is different, I don’t think this story would work out. Emily is an additional conflict to Ryan’s struggles. And besides, selfish she maybe, but any sane girl would not want her boyfriend to be always around with other girls, love interest or not.

All in all, Loving Emily give me an emotional roller-coaster ride. It was truly a bitter-sweet story. BEAUTIFUL and SAD.

Loving Emily- a great young adult story of growth in matters of family, grief, guilt, love and a person as a whole. Highly recommended to all, especially to teens!

♥♥~♥♥♥ ♥:)♥♥~♥ ♥♥





View all my reviews

Bitterblue Trailer Reveal!

Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck's reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle--disguised and alone--to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.  

Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck's reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn't yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

The long-awaited companion to New York Times bestsellers Graceling and Fire!

Coming out May  1st.  What do you think of the trailer?... Even more anxious to get your hands on the book?..:D

Guest Post and Giveaway: Bryan Cohen

by Bryan Cohen

*guest*

Bryan Cohen
*guest*

Bryan Cohen here, guest poster and author, promoting my new book The Post-College Guide to Happiness for The Happiness Blog Tour.

 I'm giving away free digital review copies of the book and doing a giveaway for paperback copies, audio copies and even a Kindle Fire! Read on and check out the info below the post.  

"Happiness is not in our circumstance but in ourselves. It is not something we see, like a rainbow, or feel, like the heat of a fire. Happiness is something we are."

-John B. Sheerin  

Stop. Happy Time 

 We love surrounding ourselves with beautiful things and beautiful people. I remember in my early 20s how often my friends and I wanted to experience the best of the best. We wanted to eat at the flashiest restaurants, drink out late at the coolest bars and get up early to see the sunrise on the beach. We wanted to do it every day if we could. We felt like we were missing out on life and that we wouldn't be happy if we didn't take every opportunity to experience something amazing. 

I certainly don't regret those days. My wildest experiences including walking the streets of France, meeting stars of film and stage on the streets of London and even skinny dipping in the Atlantic Ocean. But I can't look back and say that those events in themselves made me happier. 

It's really cool to see and experience new things. But it's important to keep in mind that cool stuff and wild passionate emotions aren't the cause of happiness. Like Sheerin says, it's not about what's happening to you, what you see or what you feel. It's who you are. Here's the best way I've learned to be happy in the moment no matter what is happening to you. 

Close your eyes. Clear your mind of whatever you were just thinking by focusing on nothing but your breath. Realize that anything you're feeling isn't a part of you and that you can let it fall away. Get yourself back to neutral by continuing to relax. Now, begin to think about the things you can be grateful for. Perhaps you have friends that you deeply care about, a family that wants the best for you and a partner who looks at you lovingly. Maybe it's a job that pays the bills or an exciting project you've got running on the side. Now, start to think about the qualities you have inside that you're proud of. Personally, I take pride in my honesty, my hard work and my dedication. Lastly, smile and let yourself be happy about these awesome things in your life. 

I've used this method to improve my happiness levels when I've had a tough day or even to make a great day even better. Whether your circumstances are awesome or bringing you down, it's up to you to be happy in the long run. Take a moment and consider your joy. To borrow and adapt the words of MC Hammer, "Stop. Happy time." -- 

 * guest*
by Bryan Cohen
*guest*

Bryan Cohen is a writer, actor and comedian from Dresher, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2005 with degrees in English and Dramatic Art and a minor in Creative Writing.

He has written nine books including...

1,000 Creative Writing Prompts: Ideas for Blogs, Scripts, Stories and More

500 Writing Prompts for Kids: First Grade through Fifth Grade

Writer on the Side: How to Write Your Book Around Your 9 to 5 Job

and his new book...

1,000 Character Writing Prompts: Villains, Heroes and Hams for Scripts, Stories and More

His website Build Creative Writing Ideas helps over 25,000 visitors a month to push past writer's block and stay motivated.


Visit Bryan:
Website
Facebook
Goodreads
Shelfari
Twitter

Feel free to follow along with the tour at The Happiness Blog Tour Hub Page or on the book's Facebook Page.

Guest post created Bryan Cohen, author of The Post-College Guide for Happiness
© 2012. All rights reserved.

*Giveaway courtesy of author*

Bryan Cohen is giving away 61 paperback and audio copies of The Post-College Guide to Happiness and a Kindle Fire between now and May 7th, 2012 on The Happiness Blog Tour.

• All entrants receive a free digital review copy of The Post-College Guide to Happiness.
• Bryan hopes to give away at least 1,000 copies during the blog tour.
• To enter, post a comment with your e-mail address or send an e-mail to postcollegehappiness (at) gmail.com.
• Bryan will draw the names at the end of the tour. Entries will be counted through Sunday, May 6th.

Edited: Extended to May 14...:D

~*~
* part of The Post-College Guide for Happiness tour - check it out for details and goodies about the book and author

Book Review: Abigail Dare

Abigail Dare by Jon Etheredge

• Paperback: 282 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (July 6, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1461043492
• ISBN-13: 978-1461043492

There's no such thing as ghosts. Just shadows and odd reflections late at night, of no consequence to the logical thinker. But when a trick of light looks back at you and smiles, your stomach jumps and suddenly your heart believes, your gut believes, and every single hair on the back of your arm believes. It's only natural to wonder who she was.

Jerry and Nina were newcomers to Passable, Mississippi, and they knew their questions might set small-town tongues to wagging. They were relieved to meet Charlotte Montgomery, a prim, cultured woman who claimed to know about their ghost. What follows is a story of survival, of making it through the Depression, the war, and old age.

"Abigail Dare" is about falling in love with the right person, enduring intolerable absences, losing everything, and going home again regardless of the cost.

"I loved this book." (goodreads.com)

"...A very different story." (goodreads.com)

"...Sad and a little scary." (goodreads.com)

"Overall a fun read, with a little spooky factor" (goodreads.com)

I admit it takes a while to get into the beginning. It’s a little confusing in a way that the story jumps a lot that it’s hard to focus on one thing. Sometimes, I think some of the first chapters are not really that necessary it would even be better to start with maybe the 6th and so on chapters.

But then, once you’ve passed these chapters and really get into the book, it was actually a great.

John Etheredge is a good story teller who has a unique way of telling it. There was enough detail to understand and yet you always need to figure out what’s coming next and how it’ll end.

What I loved most about this book is Abbie and Bill's story. You might be wondering who these two are because they’re not mentioned in the description, but for me, the book revolves around them and their lovestory. Here comes then, a well-written book that speaks to the heart. This book is character driven. The characters may be imperfect but what’s going on with them keeps me reading it.

I would have wanted an expansion of their story. Their lives were too deep to be kept in one book. I have so many questions about them but I know it would be better kept unanswered. The conciseness of this book is somewhat a blessing in its own way. It spoke to me something deeper.

The ghost aspect though just made the story a little different from other love stories or even historical. Abigail Dare is not really about ghosts, just sort of.

About the ending, I wasn’t expecting that at all. But what should I expect?, the whole book is unexpected..:D

This book isn’t about fairytales coming true, this is about accepting reality and yet hope blossoming in everyone’s heart.

Abigail Dare is a fast-read book that could be contained in two words, inspiring and heartbreaking.

I would recommend to anyone who’s a fan of romance, historical fictions and even horror..:D
Highly Recommended!



View all my reviews

Cover Unveiled: Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

  Title: Poison Princess

Author: Kresley Cole

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Release Date: October 2nd 2012

Poison Princess centers on 16-year-old Evangeline "Evie" Greene, a privileged teenager from Louisiana. When an apocalyptic event decimates her hometown, killing everyone she loves, Evie realizes the hallucinations she'd been having for the past year were actually visions of the future — and they're still happening. 

Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Deveaux. As Jack and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have gotten the same call. 

An ancient prophecy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of teens have been chosen to re-enact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it's not always clear who is on which side…

I haven't read any of Kressley Cole's IAD series *gasp* I know...Hadn't gotten the chance to.. But I can't just let the chance pass of featuring this cover, I love the cover of all her books..:)

So What do you think?