All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood Review

A beautiful and provocative love story between two unlikely people and the hard-won relationship that elevates them above the Midwestern meth lab backdrop of their lives.

As the daughter of a drug dealer, Wavy knows not to trust people, not even her own parents. It's safer to keep her mouth shut and stay out of sight. Struggling to raise her little brother, Donal, eight-year-old Wavy is the only responsible adult around. Obsessed with the constellations, she finds peace in the starry night sky above the fields behind her house, until one night her star gazing causes an accident. After witnessing his motorcycle wreck, she forms an unusual friendship with one of her fa

ther's thugs, Kellen, a tattooed ex-con with a heart of gold.

By the time Wavy is a teenager, her relationship with Kellen is the only tender thing in a brutal world of addicts and debauchery. When tragedy rips Wavy's family apart, a well-meaning aunt steps in, and what is beautiful to Wavy looks ugly under the scrutiny of the outside world. A powerful novel you won’t soon forget, Bryn Greenwood's All the Ugly and Wonderful Things challenges all we know and believe about love.

Amazon Link- http://amzn.to/2boDDA9

MY THOUGHTS:5/5 STARS

"I was lying on tracks under a train I was in love with."

Readers are either going to hate this one or love it... 

For me, it was a book that instantly captured my attention and held me captive through the final page. I can't remember the last time I was so eager to indulge in words. There was something about the underlying taboo and the emotional turmoil on the surface that helped me look past the age difference and realize that Wavy was forced to grow up faster than normal and it wasn't because of Kellen. She was verbally abused by her mother, was forced to care for her little brother, and was in the company of drugs, sex, and alcohol. The only constant in her life was Kellen. He protected her, paid for her education, and in a some weird way.. was *the normal* part of her life. Their relationship started as guardian/child, but then as time progressed, so did the feelings and intimacy. It's not honorable to play off of a child's emotions and I want to think that Kellen tried his best to keep her at arms length. The problem was that Wavy felt alone and unwanted when Kellen pushed her away. Without him she had no one so he did what he did to keep her close. Yes, she was young and yes, it was very wrong... But in some twisted way, it was also very right. Wavy may have been young, but she was mature and knew what she wanted. Together they made their ugly lives into something wonderful.

It was a wild ride with danger and epic love. There were twists and turns and parts that I just couldn't believe. My heart ached and my gut wrenched. The words provoked so much emotion and for that I am thankful. I read to find the special reads of the world and this one was just that. It's in a league of it's own. Edgy and borderline just wrong. I found it to be flawlessly addictive and beautiful in the most awkward way, but I know not all readers will. If you are thinking about reading it I will leave you with this warning* Go into the book knowing that there are child/adult relations and if you can't stomach that then don't read it. Not all will appreciate the topic and graphic details, but I think with an open mind you can learn to be okay with it. 

"The letters seemed so wonderfully tragic to me. Each one a message he would never get. A note in a bottle, bobbing on the ocean. Lost" 

*Spoiler*

My only complaint would be the ending... I expected (or maybe just craved) a Romeo/Juliet kind of ending, but it never came. What did happen seemed a tad meh. The book builds up and feeds off intensity and emotion and near the end, I felt the writing completely switched tempo and voice. It lacked an emotional punch. I really would've loved to see a jaw dropping ending without a happily ever after. A tear-jerker ending would've left me reeling for sure. 

The Family by Marissa Kennerson

Just like any average seventeen year old, Twig loves her family. She has a caring mother and a controlling father. Her brothers are sisters are committed to her family’s prosperity…

All one hundred and eighty three of them.

Twig lives in the Family, a collective society located in the rainforest of Costa Rica. The Family members coexist with the values of complete openness and honesty, and a shared fear of contagious infection in the outside world.

So when Adam, their Father, prophet, and savior, announces that Twig will be his new bride, she is overjoyed and honored. But when an injury forces her to leave the grounds, Twig finds that the world outside is not necessarily as toxic as she was made to believe. When she meets Leo, an American boy with a killer smile, she begins to question everything about her life within the Family, and the cult to which she belongs.

But when it comes to your Family, you don’t always get a choice.

-  http://amzn.to/1NVzKCG 

MY THOUGHTS:

5/5 STARS

I needed something different... A change of pace from my normal reading, and this one provided just that. Talk about a whole new book world. The Family crawled under my skin and burrowed deep within my soul. It uprooted thoughts and left my feelings uneasy. 

The life of the collective is tragic and brutal. Basically everyone worships Adam, the leader and thinks they deserve punishment when they don't follow "the rules".They all believe that infection will consume them if they leave and are very content in confinement. All but the main character Twig that is... When she gets into an accident and is taken to a hospital all her views are altered. Nothing is as she expected. People explain how infection spreads and helps her to see that maybe everything she knows is based on lies. When she returns to the collective she struggles with the new found knowledge and starts to crave whats on the outside. Through brutal punishments and belittling, Twig tries to hold it together long enough to hopefully be freed. It's a long shot, but she doesn't give up through the final page.

I'm not even sure how the Author came up with such a gut wrenching, real feeling story. I felt like I was trapped in the jungle with Twig. Tears streamed down my face at one part and I had to stop reading to catch my breath at the end. It was all consuming. My heart ached for the lifestyle she lived. It made me appreciate my freedom and it opened my eyes to what may be living within our world. The writing was great and the story line was fast paced. I definitely recommend it to every reader with an open mind. 

*A slight warning though....* You will want the next book- There is a slight cliffy.

Never Let You Go by Katy Regnery Review

In this modern retelling of “Hansel and Gretel,” 13-year-old foster children, Holden and Griselda, escape from their abductor after three years of brutal captivity and try to cross the Shenandoah River on foot. Tragically, one of them makes it to safety but the other is left behind.

Ten years later, Griselda’s boyfriend drags her to a fight club grudge match where her world is turned upside down when she watches Holden step into the ring.

Though the connection between them is fierce, bitter regret, simmering rage and a cache of physical and emotional scars lie between them, just as dangerous as the whitewater of the Shenandoah.

Never Let You Go is a story of fear and hope, defeat and survival, and two people - once profoundly broken – who discover that love is the only thing that can make them whole again.

This is a standalone novel inspired by Hansel & Gretel. New Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to profanity, scenes of physical abuse and very strong sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18. (Note: children are not sexually abused in this book.)

(The next standalone a m o d e r n f a i r y t a l e novel, Ginger’s Heart, inspired by Little Red Riding Hood, will be released in Winter 2015/2016.)

AMAZON LINK- http://amzn.to/1MvhmLX
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

 

MY THOUGHTS:

4/5 Stars

 

Never Let You Go was a beautifully crafted story. It was about two foster kids that were abducted. Together they faced verbal abuse and brutal beatings. They found comfort in one another, but eventually were separated and left with questions and broken lives. After years apart, fate reunites them and they find out the person they once knew is there, but buried deep beneath secrets and a new name. Their connection is still as strong as ever, but in order to find happiness, they have to face reality and reality is often ugly.

 

This story definitely surprised me. It was unique with lots of twists and turns. Just when I thought things were looking up, something happened and changed everything. I found the characters to be well developed and their story pulled at my heart strings. I personally loved the kidnapping retellings. The memories of their time spent together in that cellar felt so vivid and raw. It was tragic, but in some sick, twisted way it was also beautiful. I found their romance to be all consuming. I loved how they grew together and kept one another in their hearts even when they were apart. It was a heart breaking tale, but each word you read is worth it.

 

Overall, I really enjoyed this retelling of Hansel and Gretel. I have no complaints other than it felt a tad slow at times and the cover wasn't my favorite. Babies, children, and pregnant women are an instant turn off when I'm choosing books so... I'm definitely thankful to all the people that pushed me to look past the cover. It turned out to be a great read that I recommend to all!

Loving Mr. Daniels by Brittainy C Cherry Review

To Whom it May Concern,

It was easy to call us forbidden and harder to call us soulmates. Yet I believed we were both. Forbidden soulmates.

When I arrived to Edgewood, Wisconsin I didn’t plan to find him. I didn't plan to stumble into Joe's bar and have Daniel's music stir up my emotions. I had no clue that his voice would make my hurts forget their own sorrow. I had no idea that my happiness would remember its own bliss.

When I started senior year at my new school, I wasn’t prepared to call him Mr. Daniels, but sometimes life happens at the wrong time for all the right reasons.

Our love story wasn’t only about the physical connection.

It was about family. It was about loss. It was about being alive. It was silly. It was painful. It was mourning. It was laughter.

It was ours.

And for those reasons alone, I would never apologize for loving Mr. Daniels.

-Ashlyn Jennings

 

AMAZON LINK- http://amzn.to/1IYm9p9

 

MY THOUGHTS:
4.5/ 5 Stars

The writing in this book is top of the line! It was a fast paced storyline with tons of twists and turns. While it was a student/teacher romance, there was also a strong focus on deep rooted emotion. The characters help one another to overcome their inner struggles. Both are mourning and both are a looking to move on. Together they get tangled in a love affair that is not quite conventional. He is her teacher and it risky for them to be together. The sexual tension is thick and rules get broken. There are lots of ups and downs, with lots of back and forth feelings.

 

The letters were a sweet touch, but I wish they would have been more prominent throughout the whole story. Other than that I have no complaints... This is a story not to be missed.

The Force of Gravity by Kelly Stevenson Review

"I blast the stereo in a vain attempt to drown out my thoughts. I don't want to be thinking about him and analyzing every detail of first period. It makes me feel like a young, foolish girl, and I'm embarrassed that I can't control the way my body reacts every time his eyes meet mine."In a quiet town in the East Valley of Phoenix, Arizona, everything in life is seemingly perfect for eighteen-year-old Kaley Kennedy. She has loving parents, loyal friends, and is dating the hottest boy in school. With only a few months left of her senior year, she's looking forward to an epic summer before heading off to Los Angeles for college.

Without warning, a gorgeous new math teacher interrupts Kaley's predictable little world, challenging who she is. Suddenly, parties, dates, and Friday nights with her friends seem empty and unfulfilling as she finds herself obsessing over his every move. Desperate for something more, but determined to ignore her fierce attraction, every single relationship in her life begins to crumble by forces beyond her control. Struggling to transition from adolescence to adulthood, Kaley must choose between playing it safe or risking more than just her heart. . . .

AMAZON LINK- http://amzn.to/154msOA

My Thoughts:
4.5/5 Stars

I love student/teacher romances and this one did not disappoint.
It is a story about a High School senior falling for her math teacher. They have to keep their feelings a secret so both go back and forth between flirting and pushing one another away. Kaley falls hard and fast. Her outlook on life changes completely. She puts her friends on the backburner and slowly pushes her boyfriend farther away. Professor McHotty consumes her thoughts and she tries to block them out only to fall deeper into the web of love.

Eventually the two can't stay away from each anymore. They meet up in secret and try to keep their relationship on the down low. At school they act as if nothing is going on between them. Not everyone believes that though. There is tons of mystery, suspense, and parts that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I really enjoyed the plot and my only complaint would be that certain details weren't always believable. I thought some minor tweaks in the storyline could have portrayed reality instead of fantasy. It was still a fantastic forbidden love story though!

If you are one of those people who hate huge age gaps... You will appreciate this one. Kaley is 18 and Mr. Slate is in his twenties. Nothing feels wrong about the relationship they share. There is a personal connection along with the intense sexual one.

I highly recommend it to all readers who like a mouth watering book boyfriend!

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives--and the way they understand each other so completely--has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending

 

 

AMAZON LINK- http://amzn.to/1qGNhMT

 

 

My Thoughts:
5 HUGE STARS

 

Ummmm..... WOW!

I am left speechless after reading this one.

It has been two days and I am still trying to collect my thoughts. Forbidden was one of the most emotional, intense romances I've ever read about. The subject is touchy and at times makes you uncomfortable, but it's also what pulls you in. From the moment I devoured page one I was hooked. My fingers couldn't turn the pages quick enough and my heart swelled with emotions.

 

Lochan and Maya are living an unconventional life. They are left to fend for their younger siblings and while doing so they connect on a romantic level... Yes, I know it's a bit sick, but in some taboo way... It worked. My heart ached for all they dealt with. Between the worry of finances, the sorting out sibling drama, and maintaining their own school work... It's no wonder they looked to one another for comfort and security. As their relationship progressed behind closed doors the feelings became more prominent and they began to crave a more public affair.

 

Towards the end I started to draw my own conclusions, but nothing compared to the TRUE ending. Let me just say... the ending will gut you. Your heart will be ripped from your chest and stomped all over.

 

I honestly cannot recommend this book more. Immediately after finishing I wanted to pick it up and start a re-read... I remember looking at my husband and saying "This is a book I wish I could own 15 copies of". Absolutely amazing book that will give you butterflies and break your heart into a million tiny pieces.