NA Review: After by Anna Todd

After by Anna Todd
Publication Date: October 21, 2014
Publisher: Gallery Books
Amazon Link: HERE
Received From: Giveaway


Summary (from Amazon):
Book 1 of the After series—newly revised and expanded, Anna Todd's After fan fiction racked up one billion reads online and captivated readers across the globe. 

Tessa is a good girl with a sweet, reliable boyfriend back home. She's got direction, ambition, and a mother who's intent on keeping her that way.

But she's barely moved into her freshman dorm when she runs into Hardin. With his tousled brown hair, cocky British accent, tattoos and lip ring, Hardin is cute and different from what she's used to.

But he's also rude—to the point of cruelty, even. For all his attitude, Tessa should hate Hardin. And she does—until she finds herself alone with him in his room. Something about his dark mood grabs her, and when they kiss it ignited within her a passion she's never known before.

He'll call her beautiful, then insist he isn't the one for her and disappear again and again. Despite the reckless way he treats her, Tessa is compelled to dig deeper and find the real Hardin beneath all his lies. He pushes her away again and again, yet every time she pushes back, he only pulls her in deeper.

Tessa already has the perfect boyfriend. So why is she trying so hard to overcome her own hurt pride and Hardin's prejudice about nice girls like her? Unless...could this be love?

Review:
Tessa's first year at college is not what she was expecting. She misses her boyfriend who's still in high school, and she has a partying roommate who's friends with bad-boy Hardin. The second Tessa sees Hardin, she's attracted to him. And even though he constantly makes fun of her and pushes her away, she can't help but wonder what it would be like to kiss him. And then at a party one night she finds out, which begins their relationship, if you can call it that. They're both attracted to each other but Hardin is so hot and cold that Tessa has no idea where she stands with him. And Tessa's turning into someone she's not to please him and that scares her more than anything.

This novel began as fan fiction, which you can tell by the length (almost 600 pages) and short chapters. The whole story revolves around Tessa's and Hardin's relationship and it's much of the same—fighting and then making up before fighting again. The scenes get repetitive after the first 200 pages and both Tessa and Hardin got on my nerves. First, Tessa is a doormat. She lets Hardin and everyone else walk all over her. She cheats on her boyfriend more than once and is a little pathetic when it comes to Hardin because she will do anything she can to make him like her. Hardin, on the other hand, is downright abusive. Although he never hits her, he constantly puts Tessa down and makes her feel worthless. I would recommend this novel to older audiences because of the graphic sex scenes and college aged characters. And although a lot of the novel bothered me, there was a part of the story that kept me interested. I wanted to find out what happened to Tessa and Hardin. But unfortunately this novel is part of a series with four other books, so you'd have to read all of them to find out where Tessa and Hardin end up. And even though I'm curious I dot think I'm going to bother reading them because many reviewers have said they're more of the same scenes over and over.

Overall, there's many things about After that I dislike including the abusive relationship between Tessa and Hardin, so I wouldn't recommend it.

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YA Review: Forget Me Always by Sara Wolf

Forget Me Always by Sara Wolf
Publication Date: November 1, 2016
Publisher: Entangled
Amazon Link: HERE
Received From: Purchased


Summary (from Amazon):
Previously published as Savage Delight, this fully revised and updated edition is full of hilarity, drama, and heartbreak.

It's been three years, twenty-five weeks, and five days since Isis Blake fell in love, and if she has it her way, it'll stretch into infinity. Since then, she's punched Jack Hunter—her nemesis-turned-maybe-something-more—in the face, survived a brutal attack by her mom's abusive ex thanks to Jack's heroics, and then promptly forgotten all about him.

The one bright spot for Isis is Sophia, the ephemeral girl who shares Isis's hospital stay as well as a murky past with Jack. But as Isis's memories return, she finds it harder and harder to resist what she felt for Jack, and Jack finds it impossible to stay away from the only girl who's ever melted the ice around his heart.

As the dark secrets surrounding Sophia emerge, Isis realizes Jack isn't who she thought he was. He's dangerous. But when Isis starts receiving terrifying emails from an anonymous source, that danger might be the only thing protecting her from something far more threatening.

Her past. 

Review:
After Isis is attacked by her mother's abusive ex-boyfriend, she has to stay in the hospital to recover both physically and mentally. Her friend Sophia, who has been in the hospital for years, helps to pass the time but with all the therapy sessions, Isis can't help but wonder who Jack really is to her. After the accident Isis lost her memory of Jack completely, but Sophia seems to have a connection to Jack, too. Jack and Sophia are both keeping secrets from Isis and Isis can't help but dig into their pasts to uncover secrets that might devastate all three of them. Can Isis move past her memory loss and give Jack another chance or is there just too much history to start over?

This is the sequel to Sara Wolf's Love Me Never and the story begins with Isis in the hospital, trying to recuperate after her head trauma. Jack used to date Sophia, who Isis has a strong friendship with now that she's been in the hospital for so long. Sophia also suffers from medical problems because her mom used drugs when she was still in the womb. Sophia knows she won't live long but both Isis and Jack refuse to believe that and will do whatever it takes to get her better. From the beginning of Forget Me Always, the story is bittersweet. Sweet that Sophia and Isis find companionship in each other, but bitter because of Isis's memory loss and the fact that Jack is still troubled and trying to get rid of his guilt by taking care of Sophia. The relationship between Isis and Jack is more complicated now that Sophia's in the picture because Sophia still loves Jack while Jack it trying to move on with Isis. There's just too much complication for a happy ending, which was disappointing but also realistic. I love Sara Wolf's raw writing and her realistic characters. This book does leave off with a cliffhanger but the third and final book will be published in the beginning of 2017.

Overall, I would recommend Forget Me Always but I also recommend you read the first book in the series, Love Me Never, first.

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YA Review: Love Me Never by Sara Wolf

Love Me Never by Sara Wolf
Publication Date: April 5, 2016
Publisher: Entangled
Amazon Link: HERE
Received From: Purchased


Summary (from Amazon):
Previously published as Lovely Vicious, this fully revised and updated edition is full of romance, intrigue, and laugh-out-loud moments.

Don't love your enemy. Declare war on him.

Seventeen-year-old Isis Blake hasn't fallen in love in three years, nine weeks, and five days, and after what happened last time, she intends to keep it that way. Since then she's lost eighty-five pounds, gotten four streaks of purple in her hair, and moved to Buttcrack-of-Nowhere, Ohio, to help her mom escape a bad relationship.

All the girls in her new school want one thing—Jack Hunter, the Ice Prince of East Summit High. Hot as an Armani ad, smart enough to get into Yale, and colder than the Arctic, Jack Hunter's never gone out with anyone. Sure, people have seen him downtown with beautiful women, but he's never given high school girls the time of day. Until Isis punches him in the face.

Jack's met his match. Suddenly everything is a game.

The goal: Make the other beg for mercy.
The game board: East Summit High.
The reward: Something neither of them expected.

Review:
Isis Blake fell in love with the wrong guy, who used her insecurities against her. She was told she was ugly and fat and that no one would ever love her. After Isis loses weight and moves, she finally feels she can start over. But then at a party she watches as Jack makes a girl cry and it reminds Isis of the time she let a boy do the same to her. So she punches him and spreads a rumor about him, because it's what he deserves. Jack is empty inside. He doesn't feel anything and is angry at the world and sick of girls declaring their love for him. And then Isis punches him in the face and declares a war. Pretty soon they're trying to one up each other but their battle of wills turns into something more. Can Isis put her past behind her and move forward and can Jack admit he has feelings, or is it too late for both of them?

Although this novel takes place in high school, the prose reads much older and the problems that the characters face throughout the novel make the book feel more mature. While there isn't any explicit sex scenes or violence, there are other darker themes throughout the novel that would make it a better read for older teens or even adults. I was pleasantly surprised by Love Me Never and I know I'll have to read the rest of the series (there are three total) to see where Isis and Jack end up. Isis is a great heroine. She's snarky and doesn't let anyone walk over her, but she also has insecurities that she's trying to work through. She's not perfect, which makes her relatable. Jack on the other hand is cold and harsh and at times very mean to Isis. He has a hard time feeling anything because of his past and the fact that Isis makes him feel things angers him, so he takes it out on her. I loved the relationship because it felt so real. It wasn't even close to perfect but it was raw and powerful, and something I won't be able to forget about anytime soon.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Love Me Never to anyone looking for a young adult novel with an enemies to lovers storyline. But if you aren't in the mood for a depressing or raw read, I would recommend staying away from this one.

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YA Review: The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia

The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia
Publication Date: October 4, 2016
Publisher: Imprint
Amazon Link: HERE
Received From: Giveaway


Summary (from Amazon):
Seventeen year-old Frankie Devereux would do anything to forget the past. Haunted by the memory of her boyfriend's death, she lives her life by one dangerous rule: nothing matters. At least, that's what Frankie tells herself after a reckless mistake forces her to leave her privileged life in the Heights to move in with her dad—an undercover cop. She transfers to public school in the Downs, where fistfights in the halls don't faze anyone and illegal street racing is more popular than football.

Marco Leone is the fastest street racer in the Downs. Tough, sexy, and hypnotic, he makes it impossible for Frankie to ignore him...and how he makes her feel. But the risks Marco takes for his family could have devastating consequences for them both. When Frankie discovers his secret, she has to make a choice. Will she let the pain of the past determine her future? Or will she risk what little she has left to follow her heart?

Review:
After Frankie watches her boyfriend die, she begins to live life dangerously. But it soon catches up with her when she's caught driving drunk and gets transferred to live with her undercover cop father in the Downs. Changing schools sucks, but it also gives Frankie the chance to start over—even if starting over happens to be at a school with daily crime and dangerous people, including Marco, an illegal street racer. Frankie's attracted to Marco the first time she spies him in the parking lot, but she doesn't know if she's over her ex-boyfriend enough to move onto someone else, even if Marco makes her feel alive for the first time since the devastating accident. Will Frankie be able to work past her memory loss and put her boyfriend's death behind her and embrace Marco, or are they just too different?

Frankie was a great character. She wasn't the typical shy heroine that let people walk all over her. Instead, she stood up for herself and what she believed in, which I appreciated. She also had a sarcastic attitude, which set her character apart from other characters in the novel and made the story more interesting as a whole. Marco was also a good character, but I didn't feel the connection between Frankie and Marco as much as I would have liked. I felt like the relationship was too rushed and unrealistic. They fell in love too quickly, which made it hard to root for them as a couple, especially because Marco did illegal things that could ruin Frankie. The novel wasn't just about romance, though, but also about Frankie trying to get over the death of her boyfriend. She was traumatized, which is shown throughout the novel with fainting spells and flashbacks, and I thought the author took care of that devastation well, which made Frankie more relatable.

Overall, I recommend The Lovely Reckless to anyone looking for a contemporary young adult novel with a bad boy hero.

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