The Book Addict Reviews: Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Genre:  Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Social Situations
Order Online: Amazon.com  
Author Info: Goodreads | Website
Rating: 4 stars   
Received this ARC in a giveaway from one of my favorite blogs: Jen Ryland/YA Romantics 

In A Nutshell:  
Anna Ryan has to move.  Her father has just taken a promotion that requires he move to another beach.  But Anna is not sure that she wants to leave.  She lost her mother here and she is afraid that with leaving she will lose her again or maybe lose more of herself.  For Anna's father though, this move means coming back to the place where he met her mother and to the memories of her that are the happiest.  And he wants to share all of that with Anna--if she will let him. 

Review:  
I was so excited when I opened the package with this book because on the cover of the book is a review by Sarah Dessen.  As many of you know--I love her books.  So the review made me confident I would love this book too.  And I did.  I do think that fans of Sarah Dessen will really like Jessi Kirby because their styles and the topics that they approach have a lot of similarities. 

Anna is a fairly private person who has had to hide a lot of secrets within herself.  This personality does not generally make for a great narrator.  At the beginning of the story, I was a little frustrated because Anna was not sharing very much of her story.  However, as the story progressed I found myself really drawn to Anna.  I wanted to find out her story--and I wanted to be there as Anna figured out her story.  I wanted to see Anna find some peace.

At the end though, I was a little disappointed that while the primary story was tied up, some of the side stories did not get tied up.  What happened with the track team?  How did Ashley and Anna work everything out?  I wanted to know more--and see if Anna found closure. 

Recommendations:
After reading Jessi Kirby's first book--I cannot wait to read her next:

But this book also made me realize how long it has been since I read a Sarah Dessen book--I need to read another one soon!

The Book Addict Reviews: Glass by Ellen Hopkins

Genre: Young Adult, Social Situations, Parents, Emotions & Feelings
Order Online: Amazon.com
Author Info: Website | Goodreads
Rating: 4 stars
Borrowed this book from the library. 

In A Nutshell:
After reading Crank, I was hopeful that Kristina would get the help that she needed.  While I loved Ellen Hopkins poetry and style, I did struggle with some aspects of the story.  But I am hopeful that in the final installment many of my concerns will be addressed.

Review:
I always struggle with my emotions after reading Ellen Hopkins' books.  Her use of poetry to tell her story is unique and full of emotion.  Her writing is powerful and full of impact.  All of these things I love.  But the topics she covers in her stories are tough.  They are gritty.  They take a long hard look at the parts of society that tend to be ignored or glossed over.  All of these things make me very glad I read her books, but not really sure I will re-read them very often.

Glass continues the story of Kristina, who we met in Crank.  She has promised herself and her new son that she is done with the monster.  She will get her GED and continue the life she had before her trip to visit her father, or at least as much of that life as possible now.

But the call of the monster is too strong--and Kristina cannot resist it.  Slowly she gets in over her head and ends up losing everything; her family, her home, her freedom.

The entire time I was reading this book, I wished that someone had gotten Kristina professional help; particularly during the time when she had been dedicated to being a good mother.  It felt like her love for Hunter would have been enough enticement to encourage her to change her life.  Addiction is not something that a person can generally give up through willpower alone--and I feel like that is even more true for someone so young.  It almost felt too late by the time that Kristina's mother took a stand--and the stand of kicking her out without another option seemed a little counterproductive to me.  Why not offer to send her to rehab?  I agree that she probably would have said no--but then I would be upset with her.  Right now, I am angry with her mother!

I was hoping the Kristina/Bree break would be explore more in this book--particularly the hints that the split within Kristina started before she went to her fathers.  What prompted it?  Why can she not bring the two parts of herself together into one--and have a clearly defined sense of self. 

Recommendations:
I have the final book in this series on reserve--I am hoping that the final installment will address my concerns:

I have also ordered the supplemental book that I was looking forward to:

The Book Addict Reviews: Looking for Alaska by John Green

Genre: Young Adult, Social Situations, Friendship, Contemporary Fiction
Order Online: Amazon.com
Author Info: Goodreads | Website
Rating: 4 stars
Got this book as a gift from my buddy, Jen. 

In A Nutshell:
I almost do not know what to say about this book.  I laughed, I cried, and I shook my head in dismay, but more than anything I was moved.  I could not put this book down and now that I am done all I can say is that I want more John Green! 

Review:
Pudge left his safe and boring life in Florida to find his "great perhaps" at a boarding school in Alabama.  And he finds his great perhaps in Alaska Young, a classmate who loves to plan elaborate pranks, drink too much, and smoke to die.  She shakes up his life in so many ways--but will the effect last?  In the end that question becomes one of the hardest for Pudge to answer--and for Pudge to accept.

I have heard so many great things about John Green, but I really did not know what to expect.  Looking for Alaska left me speechless for the last half of the book.  I laughed, I cried, I shook my head in dismay, but more than anything I was moved.  His characters almost instantly mattered to me--they grabbed my heart and my conscience and did not let go.  I could not put the book down--and even now that I have finished it I want to read it again (and that is saying something because I am not a big re-reader).

I do have to note however that the teens in this book drink and smoke A LOT.  I have read a lot of YA and normally I can take drinking or smoking with a grain of salt.  It does not really phase me--but it was an almost constant theme in this story.  It was hard to just look beyond it.  However, it did not ruin the book for me but I did begin to wonder if lots of things in the book would have been different had the teens not smoked or even more importantly drank nearly so much. 

Recommendations:
I cannot wait to read more of John Green's writing--and my next selection is based primarily on what I have on hand at the moment:

The Book Addict Reviews: The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Genre: Young Adult, Self-Esteem & Self Respect, Social Situations, Social Issues
Order Online: Amazon.com
Author Info: Goodreads | Website
Rating: 4 stars
Borrowed from Library.

In A Nutshell:
Sarah Dessen is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, and this book just proved to be another reason why. 

Review:
Perfection.  It usually is seen as something to aspire to.  But Macy is using her pursuit for perfection (at least her boyfriend Jason's and her mother's definition of perfection) as an excuse to not fully live.  She follows her boyfriend through all of his intellectual and humanitarian interests, changing her life to be what he wants her to be.  She comes home every night to have dinner with her mother and study for her SATs so that her mother does not have to worry about her the same way her mother worried about her sister.

But then, her boyfriend asks for a break after she tells him that she loves him, and she ends up doing one of the first impulsive things she has ever done--asking for a job with Wish Catering.  And through Wish Catering, Macy started to learn how much she did not like her former "perfection."  Macy started to learn how much she wanted to change her life--how does she convince her mother that her group of new friends have been a positive influence on her life?  And how is she going to convince her mother that this change is for the better? 

Overall, I loved the book but I really struggled with the Macy's mom's character.  She was so clueless about her daughter's true feelings.  She kept holding Jason up as a sort-of prize, and I guess in some ways he was.  He was dedicated and motivated.  He was safe since he did not seem to have any inkling of desire to want a more physical relationship with Macy.  But he also made Macy feel less than.  The excessive way she described his perfection and the negative way that she described herself in comparison to him bothered me.  So when Macy's mom seemed to feed into that by talking about what a prize he was--I got bothered even more.  Also, I get that studying and being responsible is important, but the way that Macy's mother had a complete meltdown when Macy had friends and started having a life really bothered me.  The way she refused to listen to Macy--or even give Macy the time to try to talk to her--annoyed me and gave me food for thought as a parent.  A long list of things that I do not want to do when my daughter gets to be older came from seeing Macy's mother as a parent.

And of course, no review of The Truth about Forever would be complete if it did not mention Wes.  Wes is a little bit of a bad boy (he did go to reform school afterall), a little bit of an artist (okay maybe more than a little bit), a teenager who has taken on the adult role after the death of his mother.  He is all of that and so handsome that all of the girls "swoo-oon" when he walks into the room.  He is also one of the first people in Macy's life (particularly since her dad's death) to really listen to her--to care what she really thinks and to push beyond the "fine" answer to everything.  It is hard not to love him and love the change he helps bring out in Macy.

(Spoiler Alert)

But he fell into a pattern that I have noticed in a lot of Sarah Dessen's writing (I do not mean that as criticism--just observation).  Rather than telling Macy that he was meeting with his girlfriend to break up with her, he tells Macy he cannot hang out because he has an appointment.  He is acting more awkward and secretive than he has with Macy ever.  So when Macy sees him with his girlfriend, she thinks he was awkward because he did not want to tell her that his girlfriend was back in the picture.  So their (Macy and Wes's) relationship must be over.  All of the drama that came after that could have been avoided with honesty, with a little Truth--which is ironic since their relationship developed through a game of Truth.  Thus I was left with the overwhelming desire to shake Wes and say "just tell her the Truth--like you have been doing the entire time until now!"  I was optimistic though because knowing Sarah Dessen's writings, I knew the truth would eventually come out so Wes and Macy could end up together. 

Recommendations:
I already have my next Sarah Dessen book from the library!

The Book Addict Reviews: This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

Genre: Young Adult, Social Situations, Social Issues, Emotions & Feelings
Order Online: Amazon.com
Author Info: Website | Goodreads
Rating: 4 stars
Borrowed from the library.

In A Nutshell:
I loved this book.  I want to meet all of the people in the book, take a ride in the white van, and hear a live rendition of the Potato Song. 

Review:
Remy Starr has a song--a legacy left to her by her father whom she never met.  The father who left her mother and her brother to pursue his music career.  A father who did not come back once after she was born to meet her.  A father who promised in This Lullaby to let her down.

Understandably, Remy has some strong feelings about her father and her song.  These feelings, combined with the experience she has had with her mother's many marriages, have shaped her view of the world and her view of relationships.  Throughout the story, I found that I did not always agree with Remy and her view on situations but I respected her.  She was strong and determined.  She was not afraid to stand up for herself, her friends, her beliefs.  But I sometimes felt that she went out of her way to protect herself--to make sure that no one would have the opportunity to let her down again.

But as I think more about it--it is hard to say that definitively because of the masterful way Sarah Dessen handles character development.  As the story unfolds, we not only learn what is happening in the present but we also learn a lot about the character's past.  How did they get to be the person we meet in the book?  What events brought them to this place and to these relationships?  But the mastery comes from the fact that it never feels forced--the past intertwines naturally with the present, the characters develop right in front of readers.  They start to feel like they are our friends or our neighbors or at least I wanted Remy as a friend.

The only thing that I really could not buy into was the Potato Song--and that is part of why I put it down as something I really want to see live.  Could a band really write more than one song about potatoes?  Would a crowd really get excited about that?  I had a really hard time buying into that.

Recommendations:
I got myself another Sarah Dessen book for my birthday...and now I am sure it has moved to the top of my TBR pile:

The Book Addict Reviews: I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak

Genre: Young Adult, Social Situations, Mystery and Thrillers
Order Online: Amazon.com
Author Info:  Website | Goodreads
Rating: 4 stars
Bought this book.

In A Nutshell:
I bought this book on a whim.  I saw it at the store, I needed a new audiobook to listen to, I had heard so many wonderful things about Markus Zusak, so I decided to buy it.  And I am so glad that I did.  As soon as I was done, I wanted to read it again. 

Review:
This book is a little bit of a deviation from my normal reading material.  Ed Kennedy is 19 years old who has decided that living in a shack and working as a underaged cabbie is the most he will aspire to.  He is comfortable with his life, until cards with clues to people in the city who need help start arriving in the mail.  Then Ed finds he is the messenger--the person who needs to give these people the help they need.

Ed's voice is much more gritty than the books I usually read.  At the beginning of the story I struggled with Ed.  He had no drive to do anything more, to be anything more.  But Ed matures, he changes over the course of the book.  He makes an impact on the people the cards send him to, but those people also make an impact on him.  They need him. 


And Ed's family had never made that impact on him.  They have never needed him like that.  I think the person I struggled with the most was Ed's mother.  She was bordering on emotionally cruel to him, which was made all the more apparent when compared to how much she praised his brother and sisters.  I understand she was frustrated by his lack of ambition to leave or that he was like his father, but did she honestly think that berating him would help?  Did she really think it was fair to blame him for the broken promises his father made?

However, this book did not seem to be focused on fairness or equity.  This book seemed to be focused on making a positive impact on your life and the lives of those around you, regardless of your circumstances.  Sometimes, all a person needs to make their day a little better is a scoop of ice cream or a person to read Wuthering Heights with them.  And by being that person, Ed created a group of people who valued him, appreciated him, and wanted to have him around.  He found a family.

He also learned to better observe and notice what the people around him needed to be happy.  He began to look beyond the obvious to what people were hiding just below the surface.  And in looking deeper, he connected with even his oldest and closest friends in new and better ways.  He became a better friend. 

Recommendations:
After reading this book, I had two distinct thoughts.  First, I have to sit down and read The Book Thief.  I have put that book off way too long!
 
Second, I had an uncontrollable desire to re-watch Pay It Forward, because the ideas in that movie compliment many of the ideas in this book.