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25 June 2010

I'm on my laptop and my car is running!!!

My hubby is a miracle worker.  He fixed everything and I'm a happy camper again!

I've finished THE ETERNAL ONES and just finished the fab THE EXPLOSIONIST.  I'm currently reading THE ESPRESSOLOGIST.  If you could see my TBR pile, I think you'd faint.  I have a ton of library books that I want/need/must read and I'm trying to temper it with what I have here.

PLUS I'm so happy to say that I just received an early copy of THE AGENCY: THE BODY AT THE TOWER and will be part of a blog tour in August with Ying Lee (who is amazing!  I've been chatting with her on twitter! @yinglee)!

Okay, so here is the list of books from Library (doing this from memory as books are on dining room table):

The Prince of Mist
A Northern Light
The Juliet Club
Shadows of the Wind
Black Magic Sanction
Rampant
Cranford
Hunger, A Gone Novel
Never Let Me Go.
Succubus Blues

I'm gonna need lots and lots of inspiration from everyone to keep me focused on this list.  So bit of whatever will help, and if you're reading a bunch of books let me know and I'll cheer you on too!  Hopefully after all these books (those are library) I'll have a nice giveaway!

*SIGH* :)  Fun reading!

24 June 2010

Dead laptop & dead car

I won't be able to update my blog for a bit.  :(  I'm still reading up a storm and I will pick a winner for the June 30 contest!  I'm hoping my husband will be able to get my laptop up and running (I did something very stupid to it.  Wish me luck!)

Then yesterday, my car died:(  I'm totally lost without my car and I need it!!!! I've been stuck at home when I have books at library waiting for me! ARGH!

PLEASE continue to come to the blog, I will update as often as I can!  Which is contradictory to my first sentence, so ignore that one!

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer so far!

22 June 2010

Chasing Brooklyn, Lisa Schroeder


Reading Level:       Young Adult
Paperback:              412 Pages
Publisher:                Simon Pulse 1/5/10
Bookmarks:            5


This third young adult book told in verse follows Lisa's other best selling verse novels, I Heart You You Haunt Me and Far From You.  Set in the same high school as I Heart You... Brooklyn is dealing with the grief of losing her boyfriend in a terrible car crash that happened a year ago on New Year's Day.  She's still trying to come to terms with his death and visits the cemetery and writes him letters on a daily basis.  Brooklyn's world is thrown into chaos when she finds out that the boy who was in the car with Lucca during the accident has committed suicide.

Nico is also dealing with the loss of his brother.  His parents give him a hard time about his goals in life and he feels like they would have been happier had Nico died and not Lucca.    Now that Gabe has died, Lucca comes to Nico to talk him into helping Brooklyn.

Told in alternating point of views, you get to see exactly how affected the two main characters are by death and even more so by grief.  Nico doesn't understand why Lucca wants him to help Brooklyn. Brooklyn doesn't know why she can't dream about Lucca but is haunted by Gabe. 

Lisa shines when she strips the story down.  Telling these stories in verse give you the sense of hopelessness when grief is consuming you.  When Brooklyn is approached by Ava (who's boyfriend Jackson died as well), you know that she will have a lifelong friend and someone who has dealt with all this.  You don't need glittery prose to get to the heart of the story.

Between trying to heal each other, feelings and mutual admiration becomes apparent, but the two fight it because Nico is Lucca's brother and Brooklyn was Lucca's girlfriend.  

I could gush about this.  But I just loved this story.  Lisa can really get to the heart of the matter and that is how do we survive after we lost someone who we loved with all of our heart.  How is that fair?  Grief can tear us apart or we can grow from it.  Teens who deal with grief are at a greater risk of being swallowed up and forgotten.  Lisa writes the words and the magic that she brings to them and from them is superbly unforgettable.  Plus, I just love the shout out to Ava and Jackson from IHeart You... 

20 June 2010

GONE, Michael Grant
Reading Level:       Young Adult
Paperback:              558 Pages
Publisher:                Harper Teen 7/1/08
Bookmarks:            4


Within a matter of seconds,  half the town of San Perdido has disappeared.  If you were over the age of 15, you are no longer in the town.  It is up to the middle graders to run the town and take care of the small ones left behind.  We are first introduced to Sam Temple.  He is the first person that people go to because he's known as a local hero.  With his best friend, Quinn and braniac, Astrid.  They try to find out what has happened to the adults.  Sam doesn't appreciate his Jesus-like status and does his best to stay out of the leadership role.  But when the prep kids come into town, it is decisively split who will follow who.  And it leads to a biblical showdown of epic proportions.


This is a difficult story to read.  I've never read Lord of the Flies but I know enough of the storyline to know that Grant takes this story many steps ahead of that one.  Of course my main reaction when everyone of the age of 15 disappears is what happens to the kids?  But that is the mom in me.  And we find out that not everyone child or baby can be accounted for.  These 14 year olds are doing  the best they can and trying to maintain a preschool, and the local McDonald's.  But again, these are children and they are thrown into a very adult situation.  Grant masterfully keeps the kids young, but forces them to grow up at the same time.  As much as the boys hated to say it, they missed their moms.                                                                                                                                                                         
                                                


There is so much packed into this story.  This is dystopian at it's best.  As the town tries to figure out what is going on, they realize that the nuclear power plant might have had something to do with it.  Animals are changing (Coyotes are talking), cats are becoming part of books and even the humans are developing special powers that will rip the thread of the town.


Caine, a charismatic 14 year old from Coates Academy, a school for children with behavioral issues and perhaps special powers, decides that he will become the leader of the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone).  When Caine deputizes bullies, people run to Sam, Quinn, Astrid and Edilio to help out the ones who are unable to take care of themselves.  Grant creates some loathesome characters such as Drake, and Diana with whom Caine has a crush on.  


A disturbing look into mania-type syndrome and what happens when there is no one to watch the kids.





Winner!!!

If this is you??? Please e-mail me with your information so I can mail you the two books you won.  You have until June 21, 2010 6pm (EDT) to claim your prize.  If you don't claim your prize, I will have to regenerate a number and give the books to someone else.




Please note: this was the easiest way to determine the winner.

Domain Namewideopenwest.com ? (Commercial)
IP Address67.149.231.# (WideOpenWest)
ISPWideOpenWest
Location
Continent : North America
Country : United States  (Facts)
State : Michigan
City : Clinton Township
Lat/Long : 42.584, -82.9206 (Map)
LanguageEnglish (U.S.)en-us
Operating SystemMicrosoft WinXP
BrowserFirefox Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.0.14) Gecko/2009082707 Firefox/3.0.14 (.NET CLR 3.5.30729)
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Monitor

Resolution : 1024 x 600
Color Depth : 32 bits
Time of VisitJun 19 2010 1:40:49 pm
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19 June 2010

If I can get 100 people to visit my blog today

I will give away an ARC of The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff AND The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller.

So far 8 people have been to my blog so far.  But if I can get 100 by midnight tonight.  These two books will go to one person.  I will random organize my sitemeter list.  If you come to me you may be anonymous, if you could just leave a comment with the time you visited my site, I can match it up against sitemeter.  Obviously your name and e-mail will be helpful.

Let's help me make 100 today, so tell your friends!  These are highly anticipated books! :)

18 June 2010

Let's Talk about Vampire Academy!!!!

I absolutely adore this series, and I like how Richelle Mead isn't afraid to take chances with her characters.  I just reread the series from the beginning and have really picked up on a lot of clues that she has thrown in earlier books.

With everything that has happened since book one, and boy has it been a lot.  Dimitri became a strigoi, Lissa has begun a relationship with a boy who's parents became strigoi intentionally. Rose fell in love with her guardian instructor.  She and Lissa ran away, they busted out a notorious gangster from prison.

Mead isn't living vicariously through her characters like one certain author did with her humongous bestselling series.  I don't see one ounce of Mary Sue in Rose or Lissa.  These are characters that well developed.  The world that is created is one that is similar to ours, but maybe be a sideways world as well.  The Moroi and Dhampir live peacefully within our world, but have their own rules and leaders.  They follow the laws of the world, but also have another set of laws to follow as well.

When reading this series, I feel like a young teen again.  I get angsty and fall in love all over again.  I was a bit disappointed in Dimitri in Spirit Bound, but I understand the position he took. His life is different now that he's been given back his soul (aka Angelus via Buffy).  Rose may not go about things the right way, but she reacts viciously with her heart when it's about love.  I feel badly for Adrian because he adores and worships Rose, but her heart will always be with Dimitri.

Lissa.  At times she's annoyed me.  I think I likened her to a wet noodle, but as the series progresses, she's gotten stronger and I think with the final book in the series, we'll see how strong she gets.  With Queen Tatiana out of the picture, Lissa will have to take that royal seat that she desperately wants to hold.  Plus with her strong sense of spirit, she can make a whole room in awe of her.  I have a theory behind the murder, but I really think the clues are all in the book Spirit Bound. You just have to know how to read the clues.  Personally, Victor Dashkov is a red herring.  For those of you who suspect him, look back to the second Tarot card reading (Spirit Bound).  That's all I'm saying on that.

I'd like to open this to you.  Tell me what you love, hate, adore about this series.  Who do you think is the murderer.  Let's have fun with this!

17 June 2010

Matched, Ally Condie

Matched, Ally Condie

Reading Level:      Young Adult
Hardcover:            384 Pages
Publisher:               Dutton Juvenile  11/30/10
Bookmarks:           4

In Cassia's world, you live by the Societies rules.  They give you your job and they tell you who you will be matched with sometime during your 17th year of birth and they tell you when you die.  They have a big celebration and everyone is nervous waiting to see who they will be spending the rest of their life with.   Cassia's match is perfect for her.  He's handsome, he's got a great personality and will most likely have an Official job.  Cassia's match is her best friend, Xander.  How could that not be wonderful?

But there is a problem.  When she checks her microcard to see what Society has on Xander she is surprised to find someone else's face on her screen.  Someone who she never even thought would be a match for her.

I liked the world that Condie built.  Sometimes we think that life really would be easier if life was mapped out for us, but whenever big brother decides to get involved there are always problems.  I think George Orwell figured that out first, but still people love the what if scenario.  Cassia was a real teen dealing with real teen problems.  Having been matched with her best friend was cool, but weird at the same time.  

But when Ky enters the picture everything in her perfect little world is thrown upside down.  She wonders if she could be a match with him.  Is Society playing games with her to see what she would do with this knowledge?  Is she just a test?  During her grandfather's death day celebration,  he gives her something that she knows she shouldn't have.  A poem by Dylan Thomas.  A poem that states that we should not sit still and allow life to live around us but to fight for what is right.  A poem that was outlawed by the Officials and would cause problems if Cassia was found with it.

But this poem is the seed of dissent for Cassia.  Every day of every week, her life is plotted out for her.  So when she allowed some 'downtime' she chooses to go hiking.  During this outing she finds herself growing closer to Ky who by society terms is an aberration and would never have been matched with anyone because of his status.  He's from the Outer Provinces where society does not rule.

Some of this story seemed very similar to The Giver and that is high praise.  Because that book opened me up to a world that was simply fascinating.  How can a society dictate what you will be and how you will follow that formula?  I liked that Cassia started thinking for herself and looking outside of the Society 'zone' if you will.  She seemed to follow a family that was the same way.  Her grandfather held something so precious and deemed her worthy of it.  Her father completely disobeyed Official orders due to a promise.  Even Cassia's mother seems to try to think for herself, but knows that she has her family to think about as well.  Defying Society can ruin your social status and possibly even give you an 'aberration' status.

But throughout this book, love is the main theme.  What does your heart tell you and do you listen to what other people tell you.  Cassia chooses her heart.

14 June 2010

How about YOU review a book!!!


If there was a book that you could read early, and review it, what would it be?

How about this?

You pick a book (any book that I can get reasonably) and I'll give it to you, then you write a review.  It can be a book that I've already reviewed or something that have here already.  Or hopefully something I can get.

So people, put your noggin together and let me know what YOU want to review.  You can check my Shelfari or my goodreads for books I have.  I will update my Shelfari as best as I can.

You have until June 30, 2010 to pick a book.  Random Generator will pick a winner.  Unfortunately, this will have to be US/CA only. I've decided to open this up INTERNATIONALLY.  So for you Europeans, Asians, Aussies, Central American, South America, etc.. Jump on in!!!! The water's gorgeous! :)


*******THERE IS A ONE (1) BOOK LIMIT.  THINK ABOUT THIS BEFORE YOU ENTER!!!! *******

So just a gander of what I have:

Sapphique
Clockwork Angel
Matched
Virgin Territory
The Mockingbirds (NOT THE SUZANNE COLLINS BOOK)
Delirium
Beautiful Darkness

But like I said it can be ANY book in my library!

Good luck and leave comments here.  You can't win if you don't enter!

11 June 2010

Clockwork Angel, Cassandra Clare


Clockwork Angel, Cassandra Clare (The Infernal Devices, Book 1)




Reading Level:             Young Adult
Hardcover:                     496 pages
Publisher:                       Margaret  K McElderry, 8/31/10
Bookmarks:                   4



I didn't think anyone could replace my Simon.  I adored The Mortal Instruments and will probably re-read them again sometime this year.  Plus, I'm thrilled about a book all about Simon!!! YAY Simon!  However, this book has no Clary, Jace, Alec, Isabella and Simon.

We have American Tessa Gray who after her aunt dies in New York receives correspondence from her brother Nathaniel to come to England.  With a Steamer ticket in hand, Tessa bounds across the pond to meet up with her brother.  However, her brother is nowhere to be found when she arrives and is immediately scooped up by the eerily named Dark Sisters.  They hold her captive for nearly six weeks trying to get her to change.  Of course, Tessa is clueless and doesn't know why they would force this upon her.  This part of the story was a bit draggy for me.  I know that this was set up for whatever Tessa was/is/could be, but just having her locked in a house with two bizarre women was slow.

The pace really picks up when William Herondale has inexplicably shown up at the house and Tessa whacks him over the head with jug of water.  She's trying to escape and wasn't expecting someone else to come into her room.  From there on, Will brings Tessa to the 'Institute' (which we learned about in The Mortal Instruments).  Tessa is then brought up to speed on everything that she though could only be found in fairy tales.  Vampires, Faeries, Werewolves, Clockwork beings, they all exist and they're called Downworlders.  The Institute is where the Shadowhunters live and train (aka slayers of all things evil).  Because no one is quite sure what Tessa is (she's obviously not human and has no demon mark on herself), but they allow her to stay at the Institute when she tells them that her brother is missing and has been a particular friend of a very well-known business man who may or may not have ties to the Downworlders.

Although the beginning of the story is a bit sloggish, once Tessa comes into her powers and how she uses them, the story really picks up from there.  Her relationship with Will is strained, yet, he's beautiful and of course she'd be attracted to him.  She's female!  I adored Will's snark.  I literally laughed out loud at a few of his remarks, but his attitude at times was also a put off, but there are reasons why he is so standoffish (and no, I don't know why, it's one of those questions that will answered later on in book 2 or book 3).

Most of the shadowhunters at the Institute are under the age of 18, so technically they're not legally able to fight with the rest of the shadowhunters.  However, that doesn't stop Will most times.  Will's best friend at the Institute in James aka Jem.  Jem is a sickly creature, but it doesn't stop him from doing his job.  Will adores Jem and the feeling is mutual.  One thing the Institute also does is it makes up for family.  These young Shadowhunters have no parents (dead or otherwise non-existent).  The familial unit is very strong here.

This is a big book and when reading it was I feeling daunted by it.  I cannot imagine what Cassie felt like writing it.  Her plotting is very strong and I was envious with her skill.  This woman can tell a great story.  This book is going to be huge, actually this series will be, I suspect, even bigger than The Mortal Instruments, but it also comes out around the same time as the final Hunger Games book, Mockingjay.  

So now I have to wait forever the sequel. *SIGH* 

This copy was received at BEA10 by the publisher, during the 9am rush to get the book.

06 June 2010

The Agency: A Spy In the House

The Agency: A Spy in the House (The Agency Book #1)


Reading Level:             Young Adult
Hardcover:                     335 pages
Publisher:                       Candlewick, 3/9/10
Bookmarks:                   4.5


What a beautiful book!  I urge everyone one of my readers to put this HIGH on their list of to read!!!  I'm a sucker for good Victorian mysteries that are contemporary.  As a huge Austen fan (yes, she's regency) and big Bronte (Anne, Charlotte, not Emily!) fan.  Even though, they're not quite Victorian.  But I digress, Y.S. Lee writes as if she was born during this period.  Her research (and she actually has a PhD in Victorian Literature!) is absolutely spot on.  I could gush and gush about this book, but I need to actually review it! :)

Mary Lang is introduced to us as a 12 year old common pick pocket and thief in order to survive the streets of London.  When she is caught and scheduled to die by hanging, a lifesaver in the name of Anne Treleaven comes to her and shows her that their is a world that can use her.  So she is enrolled at Mrs. Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls.

After her schooling and working as a temporary teacher in training, Mary decides that this is not the life she was meant for.  So she goes to Ms. Treleaven and another teacher Mrs. Felicity Frame to explain what she has decided.  After taking in her account, they explain that she could still be useful to them, but it must be kept a secret.  Within the walls of the Academy is an all-female business called The Agency.  They send women out on assignments to 'spy' if you will on certain London upper class.  For whatever reason.

With a new name and a new job, Mary Quinn is born and takes a position as a paid companion to a family that is being investigated.  What Mary thinks is a routine assignment is quickly becoming more fraught with secrets and lies.  However throughout this escapade, Mary meets a very eligible suitor by the name of James Easton.  He is not actively seeking a female companion, but because they are both searching for the same answers, they become accomplices.

Mary is a strong female character and she shows that growth throughout the book.  The banter between her and James is reminiscent of Darcy and Elizabeth.  Especially when James brings up the Crimean war.  I could literally see the twinkle in his eye when she shot him down regarding his thoughts on female nurses on the front line.  I got that feeling that I did when I realized that Darcy was the right person for Elizabeth.  James is perfect for Mary, but they are too stubborn to see it.  I hope that we see more of James in future books and that Lee has laid the groundwork for a happily ever after.  (what can I say, I'm a sucker!).  

The storyline is plotted out beautifully and though it might be a bit predictable to die hard mystery readers, I was still swallowed up in the mystery.  Y.S. Lee is a writer to be reckoned with in the future and I really want to read more from her.


This is a library book.  That is how I obtained it.

05 June 2010

Bea Blatherings

I've been reading everyone's posts on BEA and have been reliving my experience through them.  I am such a bad blogger that I neglected to take ANY pictures!  The one picture I have I believe is from TiffanyE who is a high school librarian in PA.  And I can't seem to find it, but it's the picture of the Vlad Tod stairs at the Javits.  They were just so cool.

I drove into NYC leaving my house at 4.45am because I was so excited to get on the road and I wanted to try to miss as much traffic as possible.  My ride down was completely uneventful until I hit RT 15 in CT and I got stuck in traffic.  For. An. Hour.  My goal was to hopefully get to NYC by 9.30 and the BEA by 10.  I made my goal, but one thing I forgot is that all the GREAT books are given out at 9am!!! I finally get my car to the hotel and leave it there and hop on the shuttle bus.

Once I get my press pass, I'm told that I have to go to the Press Office, but it is not explained why.  So I go up the Vlad Tod stairs to the press room where I'm clueless as to what I'm to do now!  Thankfully, I recognized a blogger from Twitter!  Sally!  She kinda took me under her wing for a half hour and acclimate myself to the convention.  I had been texting Carol and Gail to find out where they were.  Gail texted me back that she was in line for Adriana Trigiani (ticketed).  I walked around for a bit, trying to see where everything was and if there were any galleys, ARCs or authors just hanging around.  Because the first day was completely nuts, I ran into so many people.  The first author I literally bumped into was Maria V. Snyder! What was so funny is that she was in line for the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, last year when I met Maria, she was in line with me for Justina Larbalestier LIAR signing.  I talked to her for a bit, and I asked her she was signing, she was indeed at the Harlequin booth!  The Duchess was running very late, so I left Maria in her very long line and moved on.  Honestly, from then on, the rest of the day was such a blur.  I met up with Sharon and we pretty much hung out together for the rest of the day.  With the exception of a few signings that I wanted to partake of.  She went to lunch with Sarah Darer Litman

After BEA, Sharon came back to the hotel with me while I checked in and left her books in my room.  Technically she was gonna stay with me, but opted to go home.  We then headed to the Algonquin Hotel for drinks with Harper Collins.  There was also a Kidlit drinks session going on as well that I was kinda itching to go to, but did not.  (I regret that because Barry Lyga was there and he's my hero!)  After the Harper Collins, I brought Sharon back to my hotel to gather her books and go home, I then took a cab to Max Brenner's to meet up with, Alea, Erika, Gail, April, Lenore, Carol and Donna!  It was so much fun and the food was very good.

I was so sore after day one of BEA.  Books are heavy people!  BEA really is a great way to meet with authors, bloggers, publishers, publicists and book lovers.  Why people say that Publishing is a dinosaur that is going away are crazy!  I love my books and I love attending this convention!

The authors I met on Day 1:

Richelle Mead
Beth Fantaskey
Heather Brewer
Chelsea Campbell
Jane O'Connor
Maria V. Snyder
Artist Arthur
Earl Sewell
Sarah Beth Durst
Rachel Vincent
Sarah Cross

04 June 2010

The Rise of Renegade X, Chelsea M. Campbell

The Rise of Renegade X, Chelsea M. Campbell



Reading Level:             Young Adult
Hardcover:                     352 pages
Publisher:                       Egmont, 5/11/10
Bookmarks:                   4


Damien Locke had me at hello!  This snarky, self-involved teenager who is expecting to become a super-villain on his 16th birthday is in for a complete shock when his thumbprint is an X as opposed to a V.  Thank goodness it's not an H, because he might just have to fling himself off the tallest building in Golden City.

When the surprise X shows up, he needs to talk to his mom and fast.  How could this happen? His father was a villain, right?  Not so fast... Turns out Madame of Mayhem had a tryst inflagrante in a dirty bathroom with *gasp*-- a superhero!  Thus resulting in the X on Damien's thumb.

Chelsea's writing is spot on and her snark and wit shine through this book.  I found myself laughing out loud at Damien's antics, I think because I wish I had thought them up!  Even my little one would ask why I was laughing and smiling.  I love books that make me giddy.  The secondary characters are interesting, but I found the resolution between the relationship with Damien/Kat and Damien/Sarah to be a bit rushed.  I definitely can't wait to read a sequel and anything else that Chelsea comes up with.  Her voice is fresh and new and something that is seriously lacking lately.

I received this copy at BEA.  I didn't make her signing because her line was so long and they were shutting people off.  I went to Egmont, ready to plead and beg with Elizabeth or Alison to find a copy!  I would've been willing to give up my firstborn (they don't need to know she's 19!) :)  Thankfully, Chelsea was there.  Found a book, signed it, AND stamped it with what looks like a notary seal! (she went all out for her books!)

Simply an amazing book!

02 June 2010

Leaving Paradise and Return to Paradise, Simone Elkeles

Leaving Paradise, Simone Elkeles



Reading Level:             Young Adult
Hardcover:                     303 pages
Publisher:                       Flux, 4/1/07
Bookmarks:                   4


Caleb Becker is being released from Juvenile Detention Center.  Maggie Armstrong is trying to build her life back again after an horrendous car accident left her in the hospital for nearly a year and the person who hit her in jail for a year.

These two people should not want to be anywhere near each other, but feelings and what has happened a year ago, is bringing these two together.  Plus with the help of a nosey older neighbor, how can these two not be destined together.

I inhaled this book.  I loved Simone Elkeles' Perfect Chemistry, and was so excited that I got to meet her at BEA and she was amazing.  Luckily, I was the last one in her line, so I was able to talk to her for more than a second.  Simone does not hold back in her writing and I love that.  Her language is gritty.  Caleb is hardened due to his stay at Juvie and it's affected him and his family.  People look at him differently and only see a criminal who was charged in a cruel hit and run accident.  What is ironic about this book is that both of these characters live in a fictional town called Paradise, IL.  It is anything but.  Caleb's girlfriend has been cheating on him, his sister has become the town Goth girl to the extreme.  His friends seem to make fun of Maggie because she now walks with a limp.  A limp that was caused by Caleb's extreme drinking one night.

This story is fraught with lies, hope, love and vindication.  As Maggie and Caleb work together, they form a relationship that could be considered Stockholm Syndrome.  Caleb is the person who injured Maggie, yet, from even afar, she's always had a crush on him.  Long before she was hit.  She thinks she hates him, but she can't.

Until Maggie can remember what happened that fateful night, she may never allow Caleb to have much of her heart.

Return To Paradise, Simone Elkeles


Reading Level:             Young Adult
Hardcover:                     312 pages
Publisher:                       Flux, 9/1/10
Bookmarks:                   2


At the end of Leaving Paradise, Caleb has given up on his relationship with Maggie and left Paradise forever.  He couldn't stay in a town where everyone stared at him and knew him as the town thug.  Maggie's heart has been broken and now she has turned her grief to trying to get to Spain.  

Caleb starts out in handcuffs, in the back of a police car.  When his Juvie officer is contacted, he gives him the option of joining him on a re-START program where they will talk about why they are where they because of auto accidents.  In order for Caleb to stay out of jail, he NEEDS to do this.  From here on in, we get coincidence after another.  Maggie is enrolled in this program.   Maggie wants nothing to do with Caleb. Caleb isn't sure what he wants with Maggie.  I got tired of the back and forth with these two.

I really enjoyed the first book and was really looking forward to the sequel, but it came across as a bit rushed.  Even though she had three years to write it.  The plot didn't seem very well thought out and everything seemed to fall into place too easily.  I still love Simone's books and I really do look forward to reading Rules of Attraction.   This one didn't do it for me.  But I'm still a big a fan.



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