[Review: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han]

"P.S. I Still Love You"
Author: Jenny Han
Series: To All The Boys I've Loved Before #2
Pages: 337
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Date Published: May 26th, 2015
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Format Read: Hardcover from the library

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Summary:

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.
She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.
When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing. 

-Goodreads
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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To P.S. I Still Love You,

You really get what young love is like, don't you? I love that you're not afraid to show a lot of different sides to the whole "first love" thing. Lara Jean has to deal with things that we all had to deal with in high school (or that we are dealing with) and I adore her. You're love story is darling, and I also love your use of Assassin, because it's one of the best games out there. Book, you rock!

-The White Unicorn

I absolutely adored Han's To All The Boys I Loved Before, so of course I knew I needed to see what new shenanigans Lara Jean was going to get into in this novel. I'm so glad that I made time for it. The book picks up right where the first one left off, which means we get to read Lara Jean's letter to Peter right off the bat. Let me just tell you, it's adorable, and gave me all of the feels even before the real story started. 

Han has a wonderful grasp on what it like to be in love in high school. In fact, I find that I still find myself relating to thoughts and things that Lara Jean is dealing with in the novel. She's a one of those main characters that is easy to relate to. I don't think that you have to be in high school to understand her, and that is really awesome. I think it is safe to say that Laura Jean is one of my favorite contemporary characters that I have read. 

The book, on top of being flat out cute, also deals with some really important issues. Han chooses to write about bullying in a way that also includes the leaking of a video of a scandalous variety. I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that she makes some really good points about how males and females are treated when sexual things are brought to light. Han handles it all really well, and I was glad that she decided to make the video leak a part of the story. She says things in a way that girls need to hear, and I'm glad that it's out there in this format. 

Lara Jean has two love interests in the book, but I never felt like it was a love triangle. Maybe because there were never confessions of undying love from any of them. I like that Han writes characters that are figuring out how to have relationships. They like each other, but there isn't this "we are going to be together forever and we are in high school and I can't wait to die in a hundred years together because this is so realistic" type thing. Peter and John both have wonderful characteristics, and they both bring something out in Lara Jean. I can't help but adore both boys. 

Let's just say that I am really hoping that we get to see more of Lara Jean and the rest of the characters that I have come to enjoy so much in these books. Han, please write more!

Rating:

 

     5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this NOW!

[Review: To All The Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han]

"To All the Boys I've Loved Before"
Author: Jenny Han
Series: To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1
Pages: 355
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Date Published: April 15th, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Format Read: Purchased eBook

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Summary:

Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her.

They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her, these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she can pour out her heart and soul and say all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To To All The Boys I've Loved Before,

Your the cutest! I loved how you reminded me what it was like to be a teenager again. I have to admit that I wrote a letter or two to fellows that I had a crush on back in the day and you reminded me of all of those silly, yet amazing, antics. Basically, I already said it, but I stand by my thoughts that you're one of the cutest Contemporaries I read this year.

-The White Unicorn

This is the first book that I've ever read by Jenny Han and I have to say that I have a feeling that I'll be reading many more. I was instantly impressed with the grasp that Han has on what it's like to be a teenager. Lara Jean isn't your typical, boy crazy, female and yet she still has all of these feelings that she writes down on paper. Oddly enough, I have a feeling that she and I would have been great friends in high school.

I thought that the book would end up being more about the letters, but in the long run, it was more about the things that the letters ended up throwing in Lara Jean's life and the ways that she handled them. See, she likes Josh, but he's been dating her sister Margot for two years. When the letters go out, after he and Margot break up, Lara Jean freaks and starts a fake relationship with Peter, another guy who got a letter. And then the games begin. 

Sure the book is full of swoons and mishaps and cute happenings, but I loved that at it's core, it's about a lot of different kinds of relationships. Lara Jean is navigating her changing family dynamic, which includes a single father and two sisters. As a girl who never had a sister, it's fun to see what that's like and I feel that Han gives a pretty honest look into that. It's also interesting to see Lara Jean determine what the difference between platonic feelings and romantic feelings are. I felt like that part of the story was done really well, as that can be confusing for any teen.

The two main men of the story are Josh and Peter. In all honesty, I couldn't really stand Josh. I thought he was really selfish and had this habit of only thinking about himself. He and Lara Jean's friendship felt like it was all about him, and like it was a little fake. On the other hand Lara Jean and Peter are in a fake relationship that feels real. They have issues, but I liked that Han didn't make their story super easy either. It created all the right kinds of tension. 

As soon as I got to the end of the book, I wanted the next one. I didn't know that it was possible to leave a reader in suspense with the ending of a cute, contemporary, series book, but clearly, you can. Jenny Han, what did you do to me?

If you're looking for a book full of family, relationships and good, old fashioned, letter writing, this is the book for you! Plus, it takes place around Christmas, so it's the perfect Holiday read!

Rating:

5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this NOW!

[Review: Winterspell by Claire Legrand]

"Winterspell"
Author: Claire Legrand
Series: None
Pages: 464
Genre: YA, Retelling
Date Published: September 30th, 2014
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Format Read: eARC provided by publisher (via Edelweiss) for honest review

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Summary:

The clock chimes midnight, a curse breaks, and a girl meets a prince . . . but what follows is not all sweetness and sugarplums.

New York City, 1899. Clara Stole, the mayor's ever-proper daughter, leads a double life. Since her mother's murder, she has secretly trained in self-defense with the mysterious Drosselmeyer.

Then, on Christmas Eve, disaster strikes.

Her home is destroyed, her father abducted--by beings distinctly not human. To find him, Clara journeys to the war-ravaged land of Cane. Her only companion is the dethroned prince Nicholas, bound by a wicked curse. If they're to survive, Clara has no choice but to trust him, but his haunted eyes burn with secrets--and a need she can't define. With the dangerous, seductive faery queen Anise hunting them, Clara soon realizes she won't leave Cane unscathed--if she leaves at all.

Inspired by The Nutcracker, Winterspell is a dark, timeless fairy tale about love and war, longing and loneliness, and a girl who must learn to live without fear.

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Winterspell,

Wow, I didn't know what I was getting into when I opened you up. I knew you were a retelling of The Nutcracker, which struck my fancy, but I could never imagine the dark, twisted journey that you took me on. You were filled with beautiful writing, intense word building and all the oddly sensual feels. You weren't dainty and vague like the ballet, you were bold and careless and I loved you for that.

-The White Unicorn

Winterspell is going to be one of those books that either works for people or doesn't. It's books like this that I feel are some of the best. They dare to do things oddly and they don't care what you think. Legrand has written a book that will leave you wondering how you never picked up on some of the odd themes of The Nutcracker ballet, even if you watch it ever single Christmas. Reviews are all over the place for this one, and I get it, but I have to admit that I'm in the camp of people who thoroughly enjoyed this captivating retelling of a classic.

Legrand doesn't pull any punches with her storytelling. She has re imagined characters we know into creators that we can barely recognize. She tweaked an elegant world that we're already familiar with and given it new, dark, sensual, creepy life, while still maintaining said elegance. Her words and characters bring the story to life as Legrand explores humanity as well as fantasy with edgy tact. Some of the content will make you squirm, but that's part of what makes Winterspell something that you can't look away from. Fairies are ruthless, the fact that Clara is in love with a statue (turned man) is weird (but no weirder than the original story), sugar is a drug and the rats will make you scream at night. It's perfect, and real life in New York is no less terrifying.

I do have to admit that I found fault with only one thing in this book. It's such a part of the story that I didn't mind it when things came full circle, but I have to admit that in the beginning I wasn't the biggest fan. You see, our girl Clara has a way of victimizing herself and her sexuality. There is this creepy pedophile doctor in her real life and every time he looks at her she blames herself for his wondering eyes. It pissed me off, but even though she continues to do this, it plays a huge role in her development later on in the book. Clara grows from this timid girl with hardly any self respect into someone who knows who she is so completely that it's hard to see the girl she started out as when the book is finished. So, in the end what started out as a problem became something that I adored about Clara's character development. She becomes something of a Queen, instead of the frightened young girl she starts out as.

Nicholas is quite an interesting one himself. His and Clara's love is strange. He's a statue that she talks about having feelings for and then, because of magic, he becomes a man. The way she talks about him as a statue is odd, but it sets the tone for the book rather well. Honestly, everything about this book is odd, which is why I liked it so much. The magic that flows through Cain gets in the way of their love, but things will be what they will be, in the end. I liked that Nicholas wasn't a saint. He'd done some really messed up things and you saw glimpses of the darkness even when he shone his brightest.

And then we come to Anise. Twisted, seductive, brutal Anise. She's a rather captivating villain. She's evil all right, but she has these moments where you almost believe that she could be better. She has this deep lust for love that takes control of her and it makes her feel human. But then, just like that she'll snap back into the evil Queen we know her to be. 

Legrand also makes a point to highlight other characters that we already know, while throwing some new ones at us as well. I adore the fact that none of these characters are full of light, each and every one has something dark lurking in their souls and it keeps things interesting. You're never sure who is good and who isn't. Plus, Legrand throws some curve balls at us that are rather unexpected. I want to say something about it, but I fear it would be a spoiler and I loved how much it shocked me, so I'll leave to find out what I mean for yourself.

This book is a whole lot Nutcracker with touches of Sucker Punch and steampunk. It's a jumble of mixed emotions and feels and sex appeal and humanity all rolled into one. If you like any or all of those things, you should read this book ASAP. 

Disclaimer: Though I say this book is full of sensuality and sex appeal, nothing graphic happens, it's more the tone of the book that I'm referring to.

Rating:

5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this NOW!

[Review: Golden by Jessi Kriby]

"Golden"
Author: Jessi Kirby
Series: None
Pages: 278
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Date Published: May 14th, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format Read: Library hardback

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Summary:

Love, tragedy, and mystery converge in this compelling novel from “an author to watch” (Booklist).

Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap—one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery—she decides to take a chance.

Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz are remembered as the golden couple of Summit Lakes High—perfect in every way, meant to be together forever. But Julianna’s journal tells a different story—one of doubts about Shane and a forbidden romance with an older, artistic guy. These are the secrets that were swept away with her the night that Shane’s jeep plunged into an icy river, leaving behind a grieving town and no bodies to bury.

Reading Julianna’s journal gives Parker the courage to start to really live—and it also gives her reasons to question what really happened the night of the accident. Armed with clues from the past, Parker enlists the help of her best friend, Kat, and Trevor, her longtime crush, to track down some leads. The mystery ends up taking Parker places that she never could have imagined. And she soon finds that taking the road less traveled makes all the difference.

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Golden,

Hey book, I liked you. I liked you a lot. You were fast, interesting and you even ended up in places that I know about. Places that I live really close to, so that was fun. Your mystery was really interesting and I liked that you played with themes about finding out who you are and searching for new ideas and experiences. Were you perfect? No, but those little things that weren't my favorite didn't mess with my enjoyment of your story.

-The White Unicorn

Golden was a pleasant surprise for me. I was needing a good contemporary and I'm so glad that I decided to pick this one up. Kirby created a really interesting story line that kept me wanting to know more about the world she created. It also made me laugh with glee when her characters headed to Harmony on their adventures, because I drive past there on my way to the beach. 

Parker is your typical goodie-two-shoes, which could end up being boring, but somehow Kirby turns her into someone interesting. She turns her into someone that you can root for and someone that you can see bits of yourself in. She's a young girl struggling to become her own person, but she doesn't do it in a way that will have you gritting your teeth. The rest of the characters are loads of fun as well. Kat is Parker's polar opposite and it's fun to see how their friendship works. Kat is loud, sure and overly dramatic, where Parker is precise, follows all the rules and never plays with fire. It was great to see their interactions. It was also wonderful to see a friendship taking front and center stage in a novel like this. Sure, there are romantic story arcs all over the place, but at the heart of it all, there is a really strong friendship story line that I liked a lot.

I also liked Trevor. He didn't get in the way of the story, but only added to it. Kat plays a huge role in trying to set Parker and Trevor up and all the antics portrayed between the three of them were wonderful. Even though I could have done without the weird jealousy moment, because it didn't seem to fit the story for me. It was cool to see that Kirby used Trevor in a way that advanced Parker as a character, instead of turning her into a hot mess in a relationship.

At the center of the story is a mystery. One about a boy and a girl who died 10 years prier to Parker's story. Parker ends up getting her hands on the dead girl's journal and when she reads it, she uncovers that things aren't always what they seem to be. I loved the journal storyline and all the things that it forced Parker to learn about herself. The journal entries also kept me interested in the story. I do have to admit that the pacing got a little weird for me once the journal entries stopped though. There was a section of the novel that lagged for me, but then it picked up again and ended with a really strong finish.

In the end I think that Golden is a wonderful coming of age story, filled with tons of life lessons and a good dose of fun! If you're a fan of Contemporary novels, I highly suggest this one!

Rating:

4 Unicorns = Close to perfect!