It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer.

She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny.

I fear that I’ll never be able to write a proper review for Out of the Easy because I’ve waited so long after reading it. All that remains, really, is a vague sense of awesomeness and just a liking in general. Nevertheless, I shall try to do it justice.

New Orleans, 1950s, and brothel are not words I ever expected to read in the same sentence, let alone a sentence that I actually like. Fortunately, Ruta Sepetys is here to continue expanding the bounds of my wildest imagination in cases of such absurd phraseology. What would I have done without her?

Indeed, combining the typical with the avant-garde seems to be Sepetys’s talent. Who else could have dreamed up a two-in-one murder mystery and philosophical pièce de résistance? Out of the Easy delves into complex issues all while staying true to the lightweight spirit of evading mobsters and solving mysteries.

Speaking of mobsters, I hope that Sepetys brings their characters to three-dimensional life in the novel’s sequel as she did for prostitutes in this one. My kudos go out to her for creating strong, brave and admirable women who defy the stereotypical caricatures of prostitutes. Perspective is everything, and Sepetys invites her readers to adopt a deeper one. For Willie Woodley does run a respectable business, albeit being exceptionally racy. Most importantly, her business is a (somewhat dysfunctional) family, whose antics I thoroughly enjoyed. In fact, Willie was quite probably my favourite character.

That’s not to say, however, that Josie isn’t my kind of heroine. Is she misguidedly and excessively focused on outward appearances? Yes. Is she slightly hypocritical in every way of the word? Absolutely. Does she keep too many secrets and lie through her teeth? But of course. Is her forehead quite large and her stylistic decisions questionable? Lamentably. Nonetheless, she knows how to kick ass and always comes through when it matters most. Furthermore, she isn’t afraid to pull a gun on men whose hands become too liberal: quality that everyone can assuredly appreciate.

Regrettably, these are the only sources of praise that I can dredge up from my faulty memory. Recommended for those who enjoy historicals, mobsters, and protagonists with abnormally large foreheads. 4.4/5 stars.

I’ll keep you posted,

Happy Tuesday! (Almost) every Tuesday at around this time, I participate in The Broke and the Bookish‘s Top Ten Tuesday weekly meme. Last week’s theme was Top 1o terms that make me not want to pick up a book, and I’m finding it infinitely more interesting than this week’s theme. So I’m counting down from number ten..

I love this concept in theory. Notwithstanding, I tend to get confused whenever time travel is involved. I mean, I’m even cringing to see the next Wolverine movie, and I’m a huge fan. Let’s just stick to Einstein’s theory of relativity, okay? Unless a rocket that travels faster than the speed of light is involved, I’m not interested. But I’ll get to sci-fi later.

International athletic academies are not my favourite settings. I have nothing against those settings, per se, it’s just that they interfere with my I-won’t-exercise-unless-chased-by-an-ax-murderer state of mind. I much prefer to be lazy in peace.

Shakespeare’s done it; Elton John’s done it; Jame’s Cameron’s done it. Can we please stop now? This theme is getting a little abused. I get it, love transcends all–except my distaste, that is.

This is a bit of a risky age group. Also, I feel that I’m too old for it. I think I’ll just stick to YA for now.

Confession: I’m not a sci-fi fan. I don’t like aliens or space travel or wormholes. Now, give me a nice bubonic plague, for instance, and I’m in. Funny how that works.

The next Twilight. The next Hunger Games. The next huge disappointment. See also The Inheritor of the ___ Throne.

I wish these suckers had fallen a little harder. And, you know, not survived.

Romance is cute. Love triangles, on the other hand? Not so much. Once again, this theme is getting a little too abused.

I think I may be a little prejudiced on this one. The only books featuring a guy’s point of view that I’ve ever really liked stem from the masterminds of Rick Riordan and John Green. Even James Dashner couldn’t sway me. Maybe it’s because I can’t seem to relate to a boy’s perspective. It also really irks me when women write books from a guy’s point of view, like in Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. I’m pretty sure that Ethan wouldn’t notice Lena’s wearing a Marilyn Monroe-style dress and gorgeous lip gloss, guys, unless he has some serious unconfronted issues. Which, then again, may be the case.

Now this just wants to make me poke love with a sharp stick and see what happens. Or maybe join a theater troupe just to speak these words with the proper dramatic intonation, and then poke love with a sharp stick. Again: I think that Fallen by Lauren Kate has scarred me for life.  As if magical schools and possessive fallen angel boyfriends weren’t enough, there’s also the whole reincarnation thing. Awful, horrible, terrible book. Although ranting about it isn’t so bad.

I’ll keep you posted,

Anatomy of a Single Girl:

With Judy Blume-like honesty and insight, this sequel toAnatomy of a Boyfriend is about life after first love–romance, sex, friendship, family, and the ups and downs of life as a single girl.

After everything that happened—my first boyfriend, my first time, my first breakup—jumping back into the dating game seemed like the least healthy thing I could do. It’s not that I didn’t want to fall in love again, since that’s about the best feeling ever. But as a busy college premed still raw from heartbreak, which is the worst feeling ever, I figured I’d lie low for a while. Of course, as soon as I stopped looking for someone, an impossibly amazing—and devastatingly cute—guy came along, and I learned that having a new boyfriend is the quickest way to recover from losing your old one.

The moment we got together, all my preconceptions about romance and sex were turned upside down. I discovered physical and emotional firsts I never knew existed. I learned to let go of my past by living in the present. It was thrilling. It was hot. It was just what the doctor ordered.

But I couldn’t avoid my future forever.

In Daria Snadowsky’s daring follow-up to Anatomy of a Boyfriend, eighteen-year-old Dominique explores the relationship between love and lust, and the friendships that see us through.

First up, a big thanks goes to Daria Snadowsky for the copies for review. To read them as soon as they came in the mail was a no-brainer. I mean, what else screams summer like covers featuring demoralized dolls complete with witty, albeit slightly depressing, body part captions? And some in Latin, no less? Although the whole ‘single girl’ thing was a bit of a misnomer. Dominique Baylor was definitely copulating with someone in the series’ second book.

And when I say copulating, I mean copulating. Copulating excessively and without pause. Copulating for chapters on end. Copulating for two days straight. So. These books are many things, but G-rated is not one of them. 14-A wouldn’t even cover it. Be prepared to have the romance laid on hot and heavy.

But don’t get your panties in a knot; Dominique isn’t your average wanton ditz. She’s quite far from it, actually. Yes, our Dommie is a  true nerd, from the scientific trivial pursuit– think Mean Girls‘ Mathletes but without the lettermans– to the serious medical school aspirations. Can I be the first to say hallelujah? And to think that I thought my dreams of premed heroines would forever remain unrequited sources of unrelenting anguish! Quite frankly, the medical and scientific factoids were my favourite part of the novels. I’d take trivia over hot guy (Guy?) characters any day.

That’s not to say that Dominique didn’t  have her space case moments. Oh, she had plenty of them. I wanted to shake some sense into her in an extremely violent fashion rather periodically, actually, but then boy-crazy protagonists always bring out my murderous tendencies. Refreshingly, however, Anatomy and Anatomy don’t pretend to be anything but romance, desperate and lusty.

Second best part of the books? They’re companions! You don’t need to read the first to enjoy the second: fact that proved useful when, in a space case moment of my own, I grabbed Anatomy of a Single Girl to read after my summer school exam instead of its predecessor (don’t worry, guys, it was a reach-ahead). It was still better than anything I read in that class.

Besides which, the series’ realistic factor almost made up for Dom’s libidinous relationships. Novels are probably the only aspect of my life wherein I celebrate breakups. The more bitter the better, baby; lay on the heartbreak. I prefer that to riding off into the sunset, at least in romance novels’ case. So Dom expected every guy on the face of the earth to love her deeply and incontrovertibly, so what? At least they had the good sense not to commit themselves!

The series merits 2.9/5 stars. Really, it excels in its genre of literature; it’s just not my favourite genre. Oh well. Single Girl is definitely a prime example of a beach read, and who can’t use a bit of relaxation at this time of the year?

I’ll keep you posted,

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay.

When sheltered American good girl Allyson “LuLu” Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance ofTwelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!

I’ve read a number of rave reviews for Just One Day since its publication. Actually, it’s been called the best book of 2012 so many times that I began to doubt my initial, well, doubts. So when its cover peeped at me  from my local bookstore’s ‘Hot Reads’ section, I could no longer resist the temptation. Yes, dear friends, I bought Just One Day despite its outrageous hardcover price– since when is reading so expensive, right?– I dropped all upcoming social engagements, and I read. However, as happens oftentimes when one’s expectations escalate, my appreciation plummeted.

It wasn’t the painful typos that did me in, or the abrupt and unsatisfying ending, or even the seriously disturbing licking scenes. No, the blame goes all to Allyson. Of course, the deceptive cover didn’t help much either. What do you see on the cover of Just One Day, friends? A girl in a coffee shop? A girl in a coffee shop pondering the meaning of life? Nothing could be more untrue. This novel is not a tale of introspection, meditation, or philosophy, but rather of attention-seeking and low self-esteem.

Allyson’s foremost problem is that her opinion of herself is based on others’ opinions of her.  You’d think that after high school, a girl would be able to pull herself together and rake up some self-esteem, but unfortunately Allyson didn’t get the memo. She constantly demands approval and proof of her acquaintances’ friendship for her, and becomes annoyed when they fail to pledge their undying love. Moreover, having known Willem for roughly two hours, she feels inclined to act like a jealous and possessive girlfriend. Every woman with whom he makes eye contact is white trash or a slut worthy of her contempt. Obviously. Even in the novel’s conclusion, she fails to comprehend the most integral part of being Lulu: it isn’t the place that makes the person; it’s the person who makes themselves.

That being said, I did enjoy the romance between Allyson and Willem. Sure, it was complete and utter spray-tan love and a tad unrealistic, but, hey, if Willem could put up with Allyson, I’m willing to give him a go. I’m ready to deem him a saint just for enduring her presence for a full twenty-four hours. Furthermore, I completely understand that their love is true despite the constraints of time. Sometimes, young adults meet and they just understand one other. They gaze soulfully into each others’ eyes and just click. Boom. Love.

The gorgeous setting also almost made up for the disappointment that was our protagonist.  I’m sure that any novel jumping from England to France to the Netherlands wouldn’t fail to impress readers. Be that as it may, what amazed me the most was actually that, while in Paris, there were no visits to the Tour Eiffel, the Louvre, or the Arc de Triomphe. No, Allyson and Willem chose instead to parade around the city of lights in a boat and get into a gang fight. So kudos go to Forman for taking the road less traveled there. I also particularly enjoyed Willem’s impression of Americans– no offense taken, of course.

I would, I’m sure, appreciate Just One Day a great deal more had this tale of ‘personal growth’ been approached consistently and with moderate aplomb. Regrettably, I can only recommend it to those who enjoy a tepid heroine, an instantaneous romance, and unsightly melodrama in a beautiful setting. 2/5 stars.

I’ll keep you posted,

Falling For Hadie by Komal Kant. CreateSpace. 316 pages. Available as paperback or e-book.

$1.99 on Amazon for Kindle.

$7.89 on Amazon for paperback.

Running away from his old life in New York City, Lincoln Bracks ends up in the small town of Statlen, Iowa. He isn’t interested in making friends or getting to know anyone. He just wants to keep his head down and disappear amongst the crowd. That was the plan anyway, until he meets Hadie Swinton.

Nursing a broken heart and the realization that the boy she’s loved her entire life isn’t Prince Charming, Hadie is set against ever falling for the same type of guy again. But when new boy, Lincoln, arrives in town, she discovers that this is easier said than done. Hadie assumes that Lincoln is a typical arrogant jock—he is good-looking, confident and charming—but when he doesn’t do anything she expects him to, she is intrigued by him against her better judgment.

There is definitely more to Lincoln than just a pretty face, but Lincoln is hiding something that he doesn’t want anybody to discover because when they do, they will never look at him the same again. Falling in love was the last thing Lincoln wanted to do, so how will he convince himself to fall out of it?

Recommended for mature readers aged 17+ due to language and sexual content.

First of all, I’d like to thank TBG Tours for including me in this one. Blog tours are honestly one of my favourite parts of blogging, be it because of the freeby books– as if you could go wrong there– or the super awesome people I get to deal with. So thank you, Naiche!

To begin the review, I read Falling for Hadie in 24 hours, and therefore claim all rights to describing it as one helluva beach read. Was it short? Yes. Predictable? Oh, yes. Romantic? Deliciously. I’m lucky that my PC’s Quadro-Core processor was able to keep up with my zealous reading. And, sure, I rolled my eyes through about half of it– instantaneous, melodramatic love tends to bring that out in me– but once Falling for Hadie hit the halfway point, things got serious. And I got invested.

Unfortunately, the fruits of my investment’s labour bore only sorrow. Because, man, was this book a tear-jerker. I mean, come on, Ms. Kant, don’t you know that we teenagers already have enough to deal with, what with our raging hormones and dramatic high school lives? Oh, sweet tears! How thou doth render me blind to Hadie and Lincoln’s true and luscious love!

My biggest issue with this novel was the beginning. Hadie and Lincoln followed the steps that seem all too common for recent YA releases:

1) Girl: Damn, is this guy a hottie!

Boy: This girl is super freaking attractive! She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever known.

 

2) Boy: You should stay away from me… I’ve got some serious issues with which I haven’t yet come to terms. I’m *sigh and dramatic, brooding look* no good for you.

Girl: Don’t tell me to stay away from you! I love you, Edward, and love conquers all!

 

3) Boy: Oh, okay. Let’s hook up, then.

Girl: For sure, pretty boy.

I mean, am I the only one who felt uncomfortable before Lincoln’s dirty little secret was revealed? He came across as a bona fide psychopath, and Hadie came across as a naive, hormonal teenage girl. When people cast tormented looks in my direction and seductively tell me to stay away, I don’t make a move on them. I run like hell in the other direction.

Or I run like hell to a giveaway…

Scroll down to enter.

I’m giving Falling for Hadie 2.9/5 stars. It was entertaining, albeit typical and teary, and the perfect study break for my intensive–exhaustive– exam prep.

Please note that this giveaway has three winners, but is only available to US residents.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:

Goodreads

Twitter

Facebook

Website

Komal Kant is the author of IMPOSSIBLE, FALLING FOR HADIE, and the upcoming WRONG SIDE OF TOWN. She currently lives in Sydney, but wishes she lived all over the world. You can tell she is weird because her days are filled with talking to imaginary characters and trying to justify choosing Stefan over Damon.

Komal talks too much, laughs too loud, sings out-of-tune, and generally says inappropriate things at appropriate times. She is not-in-a-creepy-way obsessed with blood and gore, so The Walking Dead is probably her favourite show at the moment. She is overly enthusiastic about video games, Spiderman, Batman films, Byronic heroes, horror movies, baking, and pretty shoes.

I’ll keep you posted,