The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

Review: 

As was the case with many of my summer reads this year, The Geography of You and Me was one that I brought after reading The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight last year.  And so, seeing as that was read in the summer time last year, I couldn’t not keep the tradition running and read this one under the sun as well.  Add to that the fact that this is a contemporary romance novel, and you get almost the perfect criteria for a summer read (in my eyes anyway).

Firstly, I loved how quick this book was to get into the plot.  It dived straight into the blackout, not wasting any time with introductions but instead letting the characters do that themselves.  I also liked how we were instantly introduced to both main characters, Lucy and Owen, this further moving the story along and giving the book a fast yet steady pace.

Sticking with characters, I found that I liked many of the characters in this book, despite the lack of long running side characters.  I liked both Owen and Lucy as characters, especially how they seemed to act like actually people rather than loved-up characters in a novel.  I liked how they fought and how they both moved on when they were separated, something which I felt made the whole thing more lifelike than if they would have waited for each other.  It was weirdly satisfying to see them move on and be happy without the other, even if they secretly longed for them.

However, as much as loved Lucy and Owen, I would have liked to have seen some longer running side characters, as these were few and far between.  The story focused so strongly on them that I just wanted to scream at the book to give me someone else to read about, or at least someone else who would stick around for longer than a section.  It could just be me and my love for side characters and long-running friendships in books, but I couldn’t help but get slowly and slowly more irritated by the lack of them, with the only ones coming to mind being both their parents.

One aspect which I absolutely adored was the communication between the pair, this mostly done through postcards.  I personally love old ways of staying in contact, so reading about the several pieces of card which were flown across the globe really enticed me as I waited for the next one to be popped in the post.  The jokes they shared through them were just an added bonus.

Finally I couldn’t end without talking about how much I loved the conclusion of the book, this only second to the start.  I am a sucker for books containing travel and amazing destinations, so I loved reading about the various places these two visited (no matter how exciting or dull they were), but I have to admit that my favourite place was were it all started, in New York.  I liked how as they got on with their lives they still came back to the rooftop and to this city where it all started; it was the perfect ending to a great book.

Favourite:

Character(s): Lucy

Scene(s): Atop the rooftop in the blackout

Quote(s): ‘Just because you painted a house didn’t mean the furniture inside was any different.” 

Relate a:

Song(s): Holy Ground – Taylor Swift

Aquaman - Walk The Moon

Book(s):

Rating:

4/5 

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

After reading We Were Liars last summer (review here) and absolutely adoring it, it’s safe to say that I was quick to find and buy another book by E. Lockhart.  But as is the case with many of my summer reads this year, I soon figured that this second book by Lockhart could only truly be read in the summer holidays.  So, after managing to hold off from this one for many months now, I finally picked this one up and read it as my first official read of the summer.

To start, I really liked most of the characters in this book, particularly the range of personalities and just people in general.  This book was certainly not shy for introducing many different characters, with so many also having an impact, no matter how small, on the plot and the main character, Frankie’s, life.  I also liked how they were all shown to be who they were, such as how Frankie is described by some at the end, and how Matthew is also described in the same way at both the beginning and the end.

Moving on from characters, the plot was another thing which I really enjoyed, despite the fact that it took a while for everything to truly get going.  I loved reading about the different pranks, about the secret society and even about Frankie’s relationship with Matthew.  Saying this, I did find that the book held onto the story of Frankie and Matthew for just a little too long, with their relationship being the main focus of almost the entire first half of the book.  I hope it wasn’t just me who was just waiting for all the pranks and mischief to start!

I was also a little disappointed with some of the plot twists in this one, as I found some quite predictable and not all surprising.  This may be also down to the shock of the twist in We Were Liars as I found that one to be completely unexpected and quite the opposite of some of the ones in this.

Back to the positive points, once again I found myself in love with E. Lockhart’s writing, especially considering how different it felt from We Were Liars.  It felt so unique and I liked how captivating and intriguing I found it.  It definitely drew me and kept me reading.

As for the structure, once again I found this to be another aspect which kept me reading, thanks to the short and sweet chapters.  This really helped to keep the book flowing and the pace up, with the story flowing quickly from chapter to chapter.  I also liked how the book was wrapped up, with the same idea and extract that is placed on the very first page of the actual novel.  It was good to be able to look back, read it through again and understand it all a lot more than when it was just a clue to the plot.

So overall, I did like this book, but I doubt it will be one that will stick in my mind or that I will find myself coming back to in the future.  I loved the writing, the story and the characters, but I guess it just wasn’t a book I could love.

Favourite:

Character(s): Trish and Matthew

Scene(s): Debate between Frankie and Elizabeth in the café.

Quote(s): “It is better to be alone, she figured, than to be with someone who can’t see who you are.  It is better to lead than follow.  It is better to speak up than stay silent.  It is better to open doors than shut them on people.”

Relate a:

Song(s): Cool Kids – Echosmith

Buzzcut Season – Lorde

Other Book(s): We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

 Rating:

3.5/5

Top Ten Tuesday Fourteen

Top ten authors I've read the most books from:

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature/ meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish.  After not participating in this for a while now, I was determined to get back into it, and so this seemed like the perfect week to do so.  I didn't take much thinking for me to figure out which authors hold the top spot, but it was interesting to figure out the authors that make up the rest of the list, some of whom surprised me.  I did decide to keep four as my lowest total, as I have read so many trilogies that it would just get pointless.  So here is my list for the top ten authors I've read the most books from: 

1) Amanda Hocking- So far I've read a total of twelve books by her, these being the Trylle trilogy (this being my favourite out of the series I have read of hers), Watersong series, all the current books in the My Blood Approves series and the first book of from the Kanin series, Frostfire, taking Amanda Hocking straight to the top of this list.  

2) Michael Grant - I've read all six books in the Gone series, as well as Eve and Adam (which he co-wrote with Katherine Applegate), although I did read all of these a while ago now, taking the total up to seven books. 

3) Malorie Blackman - I have read a total of six books she has written, these being the four books in the Noughts and Crosses series, Boys Don't Cry and more recently Noble Conflict.  My favourite of these had to be Double Cross, the fourth and last book in the Noughts and Crosses series.  

4) Stephenie Meyer - As I'm sure alot of people have, I did read all four of the Twilight books, as well as The Host by her, this being my clear favourite out of the five.  

5) David Levithan - Despite having read 5 books written by him, on three of the books (Will Grayson, Will Grayson, Invisibility and Dash and Lily's Books of Dares) he did co-write with another author, leaving only two of the five I have read which he wrote single-handedly, these being Everyday and How They Met. 

6) John Green - Again, John Green is another author where I have read five of his books, but these do also include collaborations with other authors with Let It Snow and Will  Grayson, Will Grayson.  Other than these two though, I have also read The Fault In Our Stars, Paper Towns and Looking For Alaska, this and Will Grayson, Will Grayson being my favourites of his.  

We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach

Review:

After first buying this only a couple of months ago now, I was initially planning on waiting a while longer and getting through some older books before I read this.  But after being in a reading slump for far too long, with every book taking me a couple of weeks before I either gave up or finally finished it, I was in desperate need for a book which I both wanted to read and one which wouldn’t seem like too much of a struggle to get through.  And after a long hard look at my bookshelves, I decided that this would be the one to revive my urge to read – something I am pretty sure it did.

One of the first things that I found worked well was the four-way split POV.  I liked how we saw the world through more than one set of eyes, as well as how different each character was, with everyone having different personalities and roles to play in the story.  I also enjoyed watching as they all evolved and grew as people as the book went on.  My only problem with the split POV was that sometimes I found it confusing as to who was speaking, especially when they had scenes together or it went over an event that had already been told from another’s perspective.

               

Staying on the topic of characters, I also liked how all their stories slowly began to interlock, with them all having an impact on the other three’s lives.  I really enjoyed watching as the four grew together and slowly but surely began to interweave themselves into one or two plots instead of four completely separate ones.

One thing that I think really helped me get through the book was the writing style, which, despite not being particularly unusual or unique, I found to be more interesting than most, something which really kept me reading.  The different sections of the book also helped to make the book more manageable, as instead of being one 370 page book, the way it was split up made it more like ten, 40 pages sections; something which I found alot less daunting almost.

As for the story, all in all I enjoyed most of the plots and subplots, with all them nearly always incorporating more than one of the four main characters into each.  However, I did find the story slow to start, likely down to the four different characters who all needed to be introduced and whose stories needed to be set up before everything could really begin.  Due to this, I would definitely say that I preferred the later half of the book to the first, as by this time everyone was well in pursuit of their goals and they well all beginning to develop as characters.

In addition, this may be an explanation as to why I loved the ending/ last section of the book.  I really liked how everything ended on a huge cliff-hanger, as it allowed the individual reader to truly decide the character’s fate, rather than the author already setting that in stone.

Favourite:

Scene(s): Protest outside the air base

Character(s): Anita

Quote(s):  “The best books, they don’t talk about things you never through about before.  They talk about things you‘d always thought about, but that you didn’t think anyone else had thought about.  You read them, and suddenly, you’re a little bit less alone in the world.”

“Who’s dumber? The guy who does his own thing or the girl who does someone else’s thing?”

“You didn’t win the game of life by losing the least…. Real winning was having the most to lose, even if it meant you might lose it all.  Even if it meant you would lose it all, sooner or later.”

Relate a:

Song(s):  The Kids Aren’t Alright – Fall Out Boy

The Fall – Imagine Dragons

Other Book(s):  Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky

Rating:

4/5

Frostfire by Amanda Hocking

Review -

As I have said many times before, Amanda Hocking is one of my favourite authors, with the trylle trilogy being the first books I read of hers.  So when I heard that this was coming out earlier on in the year, I was more than excited to return to a familiar world.  But for some unknown reason, despite Frostfire being first released in January, it has taken me until now to so much as pick it up and read an author who I know will keep me hooked.

One of the key reasons why I was drawn into this book had to be how fast paced it was.  Particularly through the beginning of the book, there was a large amount happening, with alot of action taking place in those first few chapters, which ended up causing me to turn page after page without putting it down.  It was quick to introduce the key plot points and didn't waste time in useless or pointless information.  

Another aspect that I really enjoyed was the mystery aspect that provided the main storyline for the book.  I liked how vague the reasons for the kidnapping were and enjoyed trying to figure out for myself why certain things happened.  This also lead me, strangely, to like the character of Konstantin as I always felt as though there was a reason for his actions and that he wasn't as bad as he first looked.  

Speaking of characters, I did like many of the characters in this book, especially Tilda and Ember.  I loved how Tilda stood up for herself and how Ember stood up for her friends - overall I just loved the trios friendship, even if it wasn't shown a huge deal.  However, saying that, one character I was not hugely keen on was Ridley.  I found him slightly arrogant and really got on my nerves particularly towards the end of the book, so much so that I was almost entirely against any romance (or hope of it) between him and Bryn;  I just couldn't like him!

Keeping with characters, I couldn't write a review without mentioning the small involvement of old characters in this book.  I loved how Hocking gave Ember a role in this novel, something which also allowed her brother (Finn) to make an appearance, even if it took me a little too long to realize the relation... Saying this, I did also like how the book wasn't overridden with old characters and how any who were mentioned or involved actually had a good reason to be there and weren't just there for the sake of it.   

Finally, I have to say that I have extremely mixed feelings on the ending of this one.  Personally, the last 20 pages or so felt really rushed, as alot of fairly major incidents happened in such a short space of time, with the book just seemingly to want to end instead of wanting to provide a good ending.  I also found it kind of anti-climatic, possibly due to the speed of it, and I kinda wish that the book was longer just to make the ending more satisfying.  

But all in all, I did really enjoy this book, with all its twist and turns and sub-plots adding even more to it.  It's safe that I will be picking up the second book really soon! 

Favourite :

Scene - Tove and Bryn confronting and capturing Konstantin and Bent

Quote - no notable ones - sorry! 

Character - Tilda

Relate a: 

Song - Tiptoe by Imagine Dragons 

Other Book - Switched (because if you liked Frostfire, then this one is a must-read)