Book Review: The Wreckage of Us

I am so behind in life right now, so I'm late on this. I am and I hate it. I hate it because I loved this book so I should be shouting it from the rooftops. Sigh. 

The Wreckage of Us - Brittainy Cherry

I know I should stay away from Ian Parker.

But when my drug-dealing stepdad kicks me out, I have nowhere to go. Squatting in an abandoned shed on Ian’s grandpa’s farm seems like as good a plan as any.

Ian finds me there, of course, and he insists on me moving into his spare room. I should say no, but the appeal of a roof and a warm bed is too much. Not to mention Ian’s brown eyes and strong arms.

We’re nothing alike, but the spark between us is undeniable. My life is finally looking up.

Until I call the cops on my stepdad and unintentionally get my pregnant mom arrested.

Now I have to sacrifice my dreams to take care of my mom’s baby. She’s the only family I have left. Meanwhile, Ian’s band is taking off; his dreams are coming true.

Ian is my one chance at love. I just hope he doesn’t become the one chance that got away. 

If you've been around here for awhile you know that I am a huge Brittainy Cherry fan so I jump at the chance for any and everything she does. I've yet to be disappointed by her books and this is another home run for me. 

We have Hazel, who right away you know she has a pretty awful home life. She's 17, her mother is a drug addict, she's basically taking care of her and her mother's husband, Charlie. Charlie is bad news, he's the town drug dealer and he's violent and it's said that he would have violated Hazel if only she was a bit more feminine. One day she gets kicked out and finds herself basically squatting at the ranch owned by Ian Parker's grandparents. She's recently started working there and it is fairly clear her and Ian don't get along. Ian blames Hazel's parents for getting his parents hooked on meth, which caused them to abandon him as a young boy, and now he's forced to train her on the ranch.  

Over time though, things start changing and as Ian gets to know Hazel and realizes she isn't the villain that he's imagined her to be, the attraction grows for both of them. In the middle of all of this, Ian is the lead singer of The Wreckage, who are on the verge of really making it big. Can their relationship survive fame amidst their pasts? 

I don't know why I thought this was going to be a short book because it comes in around 360ish pages, so I did not give myself enough time to read and that's on me. It very loosely reminded me of the book Drive by Kate Stewart and that is great because that is one of my favorite books. I loved Hazel, even though she makes a really ridiculous decision towards the end and when characters do that kind of thing. I also really liked Ian, and I felt like he wasn't as stubborn as men usually are in romance stories and I really appreciated that. 

If I had to pick flaws, I would say the end of Charlie's story was kind of rushed. It was like one second they've got a plan, and then boom it's done and we're moving on. I would have liked to have more of an event for that. Same with Garrett, that felt like it was just kind of dropped? At least I don't remember anything with that, so this could fully be on me. I did love the quieter theme that sometimes your dreams change and its OK. 

Overall? I loved this and I always get sad when I know the book is ending because Brittainy Cherry always creates great characters and a story that you become emotionally invested in. I feel like I have a personal connection to the story and that alone is amazing. Definitely a 5 star from me. 

A huge thank you to Social Butterfly PR for having me on this tour, I will rave about Brittainy Cherry until I die because her books are always an emotional ride. 

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Book/Movie Review: Words on Bathroom Walls

My friend Tammy and I wanted to go see a movie, so I suggested Words on Bathroom Walls because I was going to read the book soon. Naturally, I had to read the book before I could see the movie, and I was happy to get the book done in a day. We went to see the movie last night, so lets talk about both. 

WORDS ON BATHROOM WALLS - Julia Walton

When you can't trust your mind, trust your heart.

Adam is a pretty regular teen, except he's navigating high school life while living with paranoid schizophrenia. His hallucinations include a cast of characters that range from the good (beautiful Rebecca) to the bad (angry Mob Boss) to the just plain weird (polite naked guy). An experimental drug promises to help him hide his illness from the world. When Adam meets Maya, a fiercely intelligent girl, he desperately wants to be the normal, great guy that she thinks he is. But as the miracle drug begins to fail, how long can he keep this secret from the girl of his dreams?

I know next to nothing about schizophrenia other than it is scary to have, scary to be with someone in the thick of it, and there is no cure. I wanted to read this just so I could learn a little more, even if it is fictionalized, but the perspective of a teenage boy going through it is what sold me. 

In this book, which is written as a diary, we have Adam. Adam is in a drug trial for a new medicine to treat schizophrenia. I won't go into a whole lot because I think you really need to read it as it happens because its important to the feel and flow of the story. I will tell you it was heartbreaking as a mother to read this and know that this could be happening to my child and what is there I can do? I can bring you to doctors and provide medication and therapy but beyond that, parents are unable to fix something like this. As someone who deals with mental illness myself (depression, anxiety, PTSD, suicidal ideation) I did not expect to have so much of this hit close to home. I really didn't think any of it would be something that I could relate to but I was really very wrong. 

"So I didn't think of death as a sad thing. I didn't fear it the way other people do, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It was only ever bad when I craved it because being me was exhausting. Death seemed like a release that I was too cowardly to reach for because of my family. Even if i could settle on a method that didn't repulse me, I could never have put my mom through the pain of finding my body." -page 144

"You lose your secrets when you let people get too close." -page 152

"Glorious sleep. I'd forgotten how good it feels to just let yourself die for ten hours." - page 257

When reading the book Adam describes the people only he sees, the sounds/things only he hears/sees and that's bad enough. The movie does a GREAT job recreating this, to the point where I could feel what he felt on screen. The fear of the noise, seeing the black cloud come, knowing that an episode is going to happen but being completely helpless. You can feel his desperation of wanting to be "normal" and just his general helplessness of the situation. 

To be frank, I cried through the entire movie because I knew how this would unravel (the movie was a bit different from the book of course) and you could really see his spiral. I think being able to relate to him and his mom at the same time probably didn't help me, either. I will say the parts where the voices are telling him how awful he is, how he should just do everyone a favor and kill himself, that was well done. I can say that as someone who deals with the SAME voices myself day in and day out. It really isn't a matter of "don't listen to them" because they just get louder. It really is like someone behind you in your ear telling you to kill yourself, how to do it, when, where, just do it already, etc. On bad days it is all day. 

Overall? I loved both. I felt like both covered the topic really well in a way that teens (and even adults) could understand the topic. The movie did a great job recreating some of the symptoms which makes it easier to understand, especially if you never experienced anything like this. Both had humor that doesn't leave it feeling like an emotionally brutal experience. I also really like how both talked about the side effects of a lot of mental health drugs, how you can become resistant, and how we often live with awful effects for just a little relief in our heads. In both the book and movie it talks/shows the tremors in hands and legs and I remember having that on our way back from Florida when Lucy was almost one. It was awful, and I had to stop that drug because I couldn't handle it. I was on another where it was full body tremors and someone asked me if I had Parkinson's, it was that bad. Matt said even at night I would shake and the whole bed would shake. I couldn't eat without making a mess because to get a spoon to your mouth when everything is shaking is pretty hard. Mentally, it was the best I had felt but the tremors were just too much. 

If you are looking for a great young adult (truly, adults will like this, too) or your teen needs a new read, have them read this and then go see the movie. Trust me. 

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Book Review: In Case You Missed It

I am so confused on what day of the week it is anymore. Ugh. Today has been kind of crappy, we had to put one of our cats down and I'm so sad about it. We are down to one cat and one dog, and the remaining cat is older and honestly, I'm not sure how long he'll be around either. 

Let's cheer up or at least not be a sad sack! I have a book that will make you laugh throughout!

In Case You Missed It - Lindsey Kelk

When Ros steps off a plane after four years away she’s in need of a job, a flat and a phone that actually works. And, possibly, her old life back. Because everyone at home has moved on, her parents have reignited their sex life, she’s sleeping in a converted shed and she’s got a bad case of nostalgia for the way things were.

Then her new phone begins to ping with messages from people she thought were deleted for good. Including one number she knows off by heart: her ex’s.

Sometimes we’d all like the chance to see what we’ve been missing…

Listen, if you are desperately in need of something light and fun, Lindsey Kelk is where its at and this book is what will get you there. I loved this book and found myself laughing throughout. If you are a 30something wondering if you on the wrong path, or maybe you just miss your 20s, this book is going to get you in the feels. 

We start with Ros, she's at a bit of an impasse with her life. Her job in Washington D.C. didn't pan out as planned, so when she returns back to the UK, her friends are ecstatic to have her home. She can't keep thinking her ex was the one that got away, she's feeling a little left behind because her friends all have grown up lives happening, and her parents have her living in an actual shed (with a composting toilet, no less) while they are reviving their sex life. You guys, her awkwardness about this is all of us when we think of our parents having sex. She's going through this weird quarter life crisis kind of phase and its almost painful to watch her wade through it because we all know her ex is a loser, and her friends know he's a loser, but sometimes we hang onto the vision something could be. 

The interesting theme about this book is that nobody really has life figured out. Matt and I were just talking about this, how as kids we assumed our parents knew everything (but also nothing, of course) because they were adults. They were always supposed to know what to do. As adults with children ourselves, it has quickly become obvious that they were as clueless as we are now. We have no idea what we're doing at all. So watching Ros kind of come to these realizations throughout the book is something we can all really relate to. 

Also, the descriptions of her mother's rather provocative clothing and boobs breaking free is just everything. Also!! The way she meets John is kind of hilarious and I picture it every time I think of this book. 

I will say, I felt like it was a little slow in spots and Ros was almost getting on my nerves by the end. At some point a person has to just smarten up, right? If everyone thinks someone is a terrible fit for you, wouldn't you take the time to really figure out why? Also, the second mini story about her new job with a teen gaming sensation starting a podcast was just a little off and I couldn't get into it. 

Even with that, I'm giving this one a solid 4 stars because I really thought it was fun, it was great to fall into as I worried incessantly about the start of the school year. A huge thank you to Harper360 for sending this gem to me for review! I have a giveaway for this on my Instagram page, so head over there to win your very own copy... because free books are amazing, right? This post contains affiliate links.

Book Review: Leif and the Fall

Happy Labor Day! (Unless you aren't in the US, which of course it wouldn't be Labor Day for you, so happy Monday?) My kids have no school today so I'm not real sure what the plan is. Maybe we'll try to do something. Or maybe I'll try to read more because I have a few books to review for you this week! 

Oh you guys.... do you know how much I love children's literature? I love it so much. It isn't so much because I have kid of my own, but of course that is part of it, but also because sometimes they teach big things in the easiest, simplest ways and children just absorb it. Sometimes as adults we can't even grasp the concepts because we think of all the "what ifs" whereas kids just get it. I think that is one of the best things about being a kid, things are easier. Usually, of course. 

Leif and the Fall - Adam Grant * Allison Sweet Grant

Leif is a leaf. A worried leaf. It is autumn, and Leif is afraid to fall. "All leaves fall in the fall," say the other leaves. But Leif is determined to find a different way down, and with his friend Laurel, he uses the resources around him to create a net, a kite, a parachute in hopes of softening his landing. The clock is ticking, the wind is blowing. What will happen when a gust of wind pulls Leif from his branch? In a culture that prizes achievement, kids are often afraid to fail--failing to realize that some of the very ideas that don't work are steps along the path to ones that will.

I saw this book advertised on Goodreads, I think, and I added it to my shelf because I thought this would be a great fall read for Penelope and Lucy. Surprisingly, we don't have that many fall centered books but when I saw this is certainly fall centered but it has a deeper conversation to it? I need this. 

In this book we have Leif who is a leaf. He's a really nervous/worried leaf (which is kind of like my Penelope) and he's worried about falling from his tree and potentially getting hurt but also, its kind of scary to just fall from a tree. He has a friend (Laurel) who is really kind of starts brainstorming with him all of the ways he could prevent himself from falling from the tree. While each attempt fails, Leif starts to get discouraged and the other leaves taunt him and are basically saying there is no point in even trying, you won't succeed no matter way. Well, Leif does fall from the tree of course, but the ending isn't terrible and it turns out all of his failed ideas worked out in the end. 

I love that this book covers perseverance, the importance of creativity and ingenuity, it also shows what its like to be a good friend like Laurel, and how to ignore the bullies and people who put you down. I wasn't sure if Penelope and Lucy (ages five and four) would really pick out all of those pieces at their ages, but I was pleasantly surprised! Penelope said sometimes she feels like Leif (this was a big deal, she's never admitted to being shy/scared before so the fact she recognized the comparison was pretty great) but she also had thought of ways that maybe his ideas could have really worked for him. Lucy was more upset about the "mean leafs" (v's are a bit tricky for her still, haha!) and she wanted Laurel to tell them to be nice to him. 

All three of us really loved the illustrations by Merrilee Liddiard, and parents- I highly suggest you start pointing out the author and the illustrator when you read a book to kiddos! Penelope always asks me, "And who is the illustrator, mom?" if I forget (and I'm guilty of that sometimes). The illustrations are really pretty. If you are a teacher in the lower grades this would be a really fun classroom read that you could easily pair with some leaf sensory activities or maybe even have the supplies for them to try some of the ideas Leif have really see if they would work or not (and why). 

I really loved this one and Penelope said she'd give it "ten bajillion stars" but Goodreads doesn't work that way, so we're going to go with 5, this will definitely be a staple read in our home. 

Thank you to Penguin Random House and Dial Books for sending me a copy of Leif and the Fall for review, my mini reviewers were enthusiastic in their listening duties! Leif and the Fall goes on sale TOMORROW, so if your favorite book store doesn't carry it, ask them too! Mention it to your library, too!

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Book Review: Miss Apprehended

Happy Thursday! The end of the week is near, you guys and I am so excited about it. I am absolutely exhausted and I was hoping we would be able to do nothing but instead... we've got stuff happening. We have Olivia's birthday (fifteen!!!), we have to move some stuff out of the garage, figure out a solution for heating the front porch over winter so it can remain usable space, and I really want to paint a basement wall so Matt can finally get a laundry sink put in. 

No relaxing for us. 

I do have plans to read though! If you are looking for something quick and fun, I've got one for you. 

Miss Apprehended - Amie Knight & Miranda Elaine

I’ve got ninety-nine problems and all of them begin and end with the Coletrain twins.

Especially Millie Coletrain.

I don’t know whether to kiss her or spank her.

Either way, she’s mine.

Warning: This is an erotic novella with laugh-out-loud ridiculousness, insta-love, a smart-mouthed heroine, and an over-the-top alpha bail bondsman.

Before I even get into this, let's just be upfront, OK? You will read this in an hour, maybe two if you're slow. It's a novella and if you get bored with long books or just have a hard time staying focused on them, I think you need to get yourself into the novella fan club. Seriously. Novellas are a great size, and I think we can all appreciate that feeling when you finish a book. So we know this is short, but with that, you have to know going in that the story line is ridiculous and over the top. 

That's the fun of it. 

I'm a big fan of Amie Knight's anyways, so I'm game for anything she has out and this was just fun. I've been in a funk the last few days and I decided I would just pick this one up to mark it off my calendar and an hour later I find myself smiling and wanting the next one! 

Millie and Tillie Coletrain are twins, and one of them is wanted by the law. The other one routinely gets mistaken for her sister so when she finds herself up against a wall, being placed under arrest by Jake, she knows the deal. Until she turns around and it soon becomes clear between the both of them that there is real chemistry here and that this might be a bigger problem than either bargained for. 

I loved the humor in this book. The Britney Spears references, the dynamic between the twins themselves, even Jake's alpha male thing that isn't over the top/caveman, all of it was fun. I finished the book wanting to know what happened with Tillie, but she has her own novella, Miss Understood, so I'm anxious to read that because she seems like a firecracker to say the least. Also? I loved the "three years later" at the end! I always want to know what happens with our characters and so often we get squat diddly, but our authors know what we want and they gave it to us. 

A huge thank you to Social Butterfly PR for having me on this tour, this was definitely far more fun than I anticipated and it got me out of my little funk. I can't wait to keep going with these authors. 

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Book Review: Are You Afraid of the Dark?

I've waited to post this one until fall (it's fall, don't come for me) because I seem to read my thrillers in the fall. I don't know if its because Halloween is in the fall and that's just the natural time to scare yourself or what, but it is what it is. I specifically picked this one because I am absolutely scared of the dark. I'm not even ashamed to say it. HA!

Are You Afraid of the Dark? - Seth C. Adams

Dealing with the tragic death of his father, 14-year-old Reggie finds the isolation of the woods near his house comforting. Until one day, a man – stumbling, bleeding, clearly distressed – emerges from the shadows.

 

Reggie hides the man in his treehouse, and helps the stranger recover. Each with stories to share, soon the pair form a strange friendship.

 

But then Reggie learns that his new friend is a ruthless contract killer. And when the killer decides to make a break over the Mexican border, with law enforcement in hot pursuit, Reggie must decide whether to honor the bond with his newfound father figure, or betray it and bring a brutal murderer to justice…

I remember a show called Are You Afraid of the Dark on Nickleodeon as a kid because I was, and always will be, afraid of the dark. I watch it now and it seems ridiculous that it scared me, of course. I remember as a kid though being terrified of the show. I had forgotten all about it but when I was offered this book for review, the title took me off guard and I took that as a dare. Admittedly, it took me a little while to get the courage to read it because even though I'm 38 years old, I'm basically a child and still scared of everything. I had to read this book in pieces because I normally don't read anything that would fit into a horror category and I was seriously worried. 

Thankfully, I don't know that I would call this horror. I'm not sure its really a thriller either, but it certainly fits the category of creepy really well. I have previously read another book from this author called If You Go Down to the Woods and I gave that one a four star review because it was also kind of creepy, so I went into this one knowing it might be a little weird and that served me well. I saw that this book/author is compared to Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Ray Bradbury and while maybe not a twin of any of them, I'd say this author and his books are more like Jennifer McMahon, who I'm a big fan of  because her books are definitely strange but always good in a way you can't singularly pinpoint. 

We need to talk about this book though. It starts off with Reggie, only 14, heading into the woods for some solitude, presumably to contemplate his father's recent passing, and he comes across a man who is bleeding and clearly not well. A normal person, I suppose, would run for the hills and call for help. Not Reggie though. He sees this stranger and decides to basically drag this person to his tree house that his father helped him build. Reggie finds himself as an impromptu nurse, helping with the grizzly details of serious gunshot wounds and handling it with more maturity than most adults. Over time though they each start opening up to each other (kind of) and telling stories of their lives. Reggie opens up about his father and the way he died, and Ivan (presumably the bad guy) talks about his life as basically a killer. It feels like a light vs dark conversation, with each realizing they need the other in life to survive and that maybe everyone is a little of both. 

In the middle of all of this though, there is a manhunt for Ivan because of course, you don't just get shot for no reason. He's apparently wanted by a particularly creepy Sheriff and so Reggie finds himself interacting with this guy throughout the book. I feel like overall, this was pretty good. It didn't really scare me, even though I was waiting for it, and I could already figure out who the bad guy was, what happened (mostly), and I thought I knew how it would likely end. I was definitely wrong with the ending, and I felt like that last third of the book really tumbled to the end for me, so much so that I actually re-read it to make sure I got it right. 

If you are looking for a definitely different kind of book club read that might bring forth possibly spirited debate on the ending for sure, but also about Ivan, this is a GREAT pick. Ivan is definitely a bizarre character but he's talking about his very flawed moral code and Reggie is listening and trying to wrap that around what he's gotten from his father (who was a pastor) and coming up with his own. It's all really strange, but it is maybe one of the top books that left me thinking long after I turned the last page. I keep thinking I might re-read it again because I feel like perhaps I missed something that you'd only really pick up on a second read, if that makes sense. 

I have to say thank you to Harper 360 for sending me a copy of this for review. Not going to lie, I am kind of glad this didn't scare me because I'm already tired as it is, I don't need nightmares on top of it. I will say this is an author I'm going to keep my out for because this is the second book of his I'm giving 4 stars to, I'm anxious to see what he brings us next. 

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Blog Tour: Heart Bones

 You guys. I am a HUGE fan of Colleen Hoover and I am pretty sad I missed out on this review opportunity, but you know this is going into my shopping cart anyways because the early reviews so far have been GREAT. 

Their bond is too intense to ignore.

Heart Bones, the unforgettable contemporary romance that will pull on your heartstrings and show you the power of hope by #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover is available now!

From #1 New York Times bestselling author of Verity and Regretting You.

Beyah comes from a life of poverty and neglect; Samson from a family of wealth.

When the two find themselves spending the summer as neighbors, they soon realize money is one of the few things they don't have in common.

Their bond is too intense to ignore, but with only ten weeks separating them from the start of their new lives on opposite ends of the country, Beyah and Samson decide to stay in the shallow end of a summer fling.

What they don't realize is that a rip current is coming and it's about to drag both their hearts out to sea.

Download your copy today! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3a640sm Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/heartbonesch

Add HEART BONES to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/30Dk2Xx

Excerpt

Samson’s knee brushes high up on my inner thigh and I’m glad he can’t see anything from my chin down, because my body is covered in chills right now.

“I didn’t think there were many people in the world like me,” he says.

“You think we’re alike?” I want to laugh at that comparison, but there’s not an ounce of humor in his expression.

“I believe we have a lot more in common than you think we do, Beyah.”

“You think you’re as alone in this world as I am?”

He folds his lips together and nods his head, and it’s the most honest thing I’ve ever seen. I never would have thought someone so well off could have a life as shitty as mine, but I can see it in the way he’s looking at me. Everything about him suddenly seems familiar to me.

He’s right. We are alike, but only in the saddest ways.

My voice comes out in a whisper when I say, “When I first met you on that ferry, I could tell you were damaged.”

There’s a flicker of something in his eyes as he tilts his head to the right. “You think I’m damaged?”

“Yes.”

He moves even closer in the water, but there wasn’t much space left between us to begin with. It’s deliberate, and so much of me is touching so much of him now. “You’re right,” he says quietly, slipping a hand around the back of my left knee. “There’s nothing left of me but a fucking pile of debris.” He pulls me to him, wrapping both my legs around him. That’s all he does, though. He doesn’t try to kiss me. He just connects us together as if that’s enough while our arms keep us both afloat.

I’m swiftly succumbing to him. I don’t know in what way. All of them, maybe. Because right now, I need him to do something else. Anything else. Taste me. Touch me. Drag me under.

We watch each other for a moment and it’s almost like looking into a broken mirror. He leans in slowly, but not toward my mouth. He presses his lips against my shoulder, so gentle it feels like a graze.

I close my eyes and inhale.

I’ve never felt anything so sensual. So perfect.

About Colleen Hoover

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times and International bestselling author of thirteen novels and multiple novellas. She lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. She is the founder of The Bookworm Box, a non-profit book subscription service and bookstore in Sulphur Springs, Texas.

Connect with Colleen

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2FZ7GAI Amazon: https://amzn.to/2L1LuoI BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/colleen-hoover Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colleenhoover/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/colleenhoover SnapChat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/colleenhoover Join her reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/colleenhooverscohorts/ https://www.colleenhoover.com