The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doley

Description from Goodreads

A bewitching, dark and beautiful debut novel about a girl living in the shadow of a mysterious curse.

It's the accident season, the same time every year. Bones break, skin tears, bruises bloom.

The accident season has been part of seventeen-year-old Cara's life for as long as she can remember. Towards the end of October, foreshadowed by the deaths of many relatives before them, Cara's family becomes inexplicably accident-prone. They banish knives to locked drawers, cover sharp table edges with padding, switch off electrical items - but injuries follow wherever they go, and the accident season becomes an ever-growing obsession and fear.

But why are they so cursed? And how can they break free? 

♡

I'm going to have a hard time reviewing this book. The Accident Season has an addictive quality to it - I read the whole book in one sit. It was eerie and melancholy, borderline magical realism, and a little disturbing. Everything the author aimed it to be, I'm guessing. While reading, I felt like I was in a dream, just floating in someone's memories. Everything around me disappeared, and that sensation is always something that I seek when reading. I want to experience something that I couldn't even imagine. The Accident Season accomplished it.

There is a twist/surprise element near to the end. A lot of people have said that they saw the twist coming, but for once, I didn't see it coming. It would be interesting to read the book a second time, now that I know what is coming. Would the book be still as mesmerizing and have the same kind of magical realism feel to it the second time around? Maybe, most likely not. That being said I think the book is best experienced knowing little as possible when going into the book. At best it surprises you and leaves you a bit hollow inside, in a good way. 

Now about the one element, a lot of people have very strong opinions on. It might be a small spoiler, but it is introduced very early on in the book: the romance between the main character Cara and her ex-stepbrother.  To be honest, I'm not sure myself yet what I think of this, I just finished reading the book. While I do not like the idea of sister/brother romance, this wasn't exactly it as they weren't related by blood. They both knew it was "weird" (as they put it) and they struggled against it, but does it make it acceptable? I don't know, but I'd really love to hear the author's thoughts on this. Why did Fowley-Doley decide to make the love interest ex-stepbrother? The romance wasn't the main theme in the book, but it was a significant part. The book is more about how broken we are, and how we can still live on despite it. But I think some readers might find the romance off-putting, this time it was ok, in my opinion. 

I find it very hard to pin-point the whole reading experience - did I just really read all of that? Did that all happen? Now, I can't say that book was 5/5 stars because sometimes the characters were a tiny bit too teenager-y (so angsty and rebellious) and while the writing was captivating, it tended to drag on at times. But I did like The Accident Season. It had a clear concept, it provoked so many emotions in me (both good and bad), I liked the surprise element, and I will remember the book for a longer than just this one evening when I read it. If you liked All Our Pretty Songs by Sarah McCarry and We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, The Accident Season is also for you. 

4/5 stars
☆☆☆☆

Stacking the Shelves #27: weekly book haul

It's Saturday and so it's time for Stacking the Shelves!

Here is my haul from this week:

♡ NetGalley ♡

The Art of Taxidermy by Sharon Kernot

Description from Goodreads

Lottie collects dead creatures and lovingly cares for them, hoping to preserve them, to save them from disintegration. Her father understands—Lottie has a scientific mind, he thinks. Her aunt wants it to stop, and she goes to cruel lengths to make sure it does. 

And her mother? Lottie’s mother died long ago. And Lottie is searching for a way to be close to her.

The Art of Taxidermy is a heartbreaking verse novel exploring love and death, grief and beauty, and the ways we try to make sense of it all.

Beau & Bett by Kathryn Berla

Description from Goodreads

Beau LeFrancois’ mother never saw the accident coming, and she certainly never imagined the problems that come with wrecking Bett Diaz’s luxury SUV. Fortunately, no one was hurt but the car needs extensive repairs, and she also must pay for the damage to the other car. The problem is, the LeFrancois family is going bare—unable to even afford car insurance.

Beau volunteers to work off the debt at the Diaz Ranch. What he isn’t prepared for is Bett Diaz. Bett is known as ‘The Beast’ at their school because of her bad temper, Beau approaches the job with caution and vows to stay away from the boss’s daughter. However, Bett has other plans—bored and friendless, she finds excuses to shadow Beau whenever he’s at the ranch. After hours spent in her company, Beau learns the secrets behind Bett’s tough exterior and finds himself falling for her. That is, until he catches Bett in a lie.

♡♡♡

Have you read/heard about these novels before? Any thoughts on them? 

Top Ten Tuesday #34 - Characters I'd like to switch places with

Top Ten Tuesday this week is about 

  ❄Top Ten Characters I'd like to switch places with ❄

(In no particular order)

❄❄❄

 

Jude from the Folk of the Fair series by Holly Black

Okay so maybe Jude isn't exactly well treated among the fairies. She is mentally and physically bullied, but oh damn does she live in an interesting world among the generals and the princes... 

Nina Zenik from Six of Crows duology/Grishaverse

Nina Zenik is a smart, strong, beautiful, determined, funny and warm person, so who wouldn't want to be her? And besides, she has a pretty good looking fellow too (or does she?)

Lucy Hutton from The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

I'm not usually the one for steamy contemporary books, but The Hating Game blew me away! Especially when the whole experience was from an audiobook. The love interest Joshua Templeton is one beautiful man and Lucy one lucky girl.

Lazlo Strange from Strange the Dreamer Duology by Laini Taylor

Lazlo finds out there is a whole new world out there that he could have never fathomed in his deepest, the most secret dreams. And on top of that, he meets the love of his life and of course, then there's no turning back.

Agnieszka from Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Another story about discovering a whole new world (but in a smaller different scale than in Strange the Dreamer), overcoming your fears and predispositions. A great character development arc!

Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

"You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."

Enough said!

Sabetha Belacoros from Gentleman Bastard series by Scott Lynch

Sabetha isn't fully introduced into the storyline until the third book so I don't want to spoil anything else, so all that I'm going to say is that she is badass!

Sophie from Howl's Moving Castle by Diane Wynne Jones

Another story about another girl discovering something unexpected and great. Never gets old!!

Hermione Granger from Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

I'm guessing Hermione will be on so many lists this week, but honestly, Hermione got the best of two worlds: she gets to grow up in the muggle world, but gets to grow old in the magic one. She gets to go to Hogwarts when she is about to reach the age when children stop believing in magic, so the magic never loses its glory. Besides Hermione is smart, resourceful, and unselfish!

❄❄❄

Weird Girl and What's His Name by Meagan Brothers

Description from Goodreads

In the tiny podunk town of Hawthorne, North Carolina, high school geeks Lula and Rory share everything—a love for sci-fi, resentment toward the parents that abandoned them, and Friday night binge-watching of old X-Files episodes. But when Lula discovers that Rory has been secretly sleeping with his creepy middle-aged boss—she disappears on a journey to find her long-lost actress mother in New York. When she returns, nothing is the same, and she is forced to make amends or risk repeating the mistakes of the generation that caused the two friends so much pain. Meagan Brother’s piercing prose speaks to those who have ever felt unwanted and alone, and who struggle to find their place in a world that seems to reject them. 

(Personally, I don't think the synopsis entails very well what the book is really about, but I don't want to write my own either because I'm afraid I will spoil some of the events which might be best to experience first-hand.)

❄❄❄

I have to say right away that I have very mixed feelings about Weird Girl and What's His Name. While I really enjoyed the occasional philosophical thoughts and all the science fiction references, there was just something about the novel that I couldn't really come in terms with. Maybe it was because the book is divided into two different sections: Rory's point of view, and Lula's point of view. While Rory was an okay character me, I liked Lula better, even though at times I didn't really care for either one of them.

While I liked Rory okay, I wasn't really able to identify with him as well as I was able to with Lula. Even though personality-wise I'm a lot more like Rory than Lula, the problems Lula was facing were a lot more relatable: am I the only one who feels alone in the world? Is there someone out there for me who will accept me as I am, unconditionally? Where is my place in the world? Are romantic and platonic forms of love equal? Even though Rory did think about these as well, somehow the way Lula dealt with these problems made me more aware of them. The big themes reflected upon in the novel are what probably all of us ponder on at some point in our lives, but these are thoughts that I've myself personally thought about recently, as I'm currently in a transition into the next stage in my life. Lula's experiences made so much sense to me, and that was probably why liked Lula so much.

I have to admit though, that the writing wasn't exactly my favourite part in the beginning. At times it felt a bit awkward with so many punctuation marks, strange time jumps, and the confusing story telling from time to time. However, the more the plot progressed, the more fluent the writing became. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I associated the best part of the book with Lula, so I became to like the writing as the events were more to my liking. Towards the end, Brothers is able to insert some of the most wonderful thoughts in the book, despite the weak start. There was this moment in which Lula talks about the importance of The X-Files in relation to her relationship with Rory. How the TV show becomes a medium for their emotions and thoughts that allow them to discuss about matters which just cannot be expressed with everyday words. When I read that passage, I felt immediate connection with her as I totally understood what she meant. I'm that kind of person too! I also use novels and TV shows to bond with people. 

The references of The X-Files and Lord of the Ring were always well-placed and funny, and I found myself sniggering or nodding to them. The fact that Rory and Lula were such a fanboy and fangirl, was definitely one my favourite parts of the book. I tend to be a bit of fangirl myself, and I loved how their fondness for science fiction wasn't played down. The things that we love do define us as persons, at least to some extent. I'm not as dedicated fan of The X-Files as the characters were, but I have my own shows that I stand by forever: Supernatural, The Walking Dead,  Fringe, Hannibal, Game of Thrones, so I 101% understand the reruns, the blogs, the discussions, the makeovers. Our 'obsessions' can become the salt of  our lives when we become so emotionally invested in them. 

I found writing the review for Weird Girl and What's His Name very difficult. While the book was a good read, and I enjoyed it more and more as it progressed, but I was a bit disappointed as it wasn't as original as I first imagined it would be. The philosophical nature of the book took me by a surprise (in a good way) and I wished had been more of that. Those precious gem moments in which the author becomes reflective of the important things in our lives were the golden core of the whole novel. 

☆☆

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Description from Goodreads

This innovative, heartfelt debut novel tells the story of a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins a complicated romance that challenges everything she’s ever known. The narrative unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, texts, charts, lists, illustrations, and more.

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

❄❄❄

It might be because I kept seeing this cute guy at the university while reading Everything, Everything, I ended up loooved this novel. The feelings Madeleine, the tragically allergic main character, developed and experienced made me sympathise with her to so much. In fact (haha), I kept internally screaming "Oh Madeleine, hang in there sister!!" and making very audible sighs as I read, a rarity for me nowadays. It wasn't only the romance and the intelligent dialogue, but also the beautiful illustrations and varying typologies/formats Yoon used to create this immensely entertaining and moving novel, that made me fall in like (an inside joke, read the book) with the novel.

“Maybe growing up means disappointing the people we love.” 

Madeleine has lived all her life in a sterile, all-white house with her mother and her nurse, while Olly has had a prison of his own made by his abusive father. The way Yoon brought these two people together making them connect on a such deep level through their different kinds of imprisonment, one transparent while the other physical, makes me just ache to experience a similar bond like that myself one day. Olly and Madeleine were just so incredibly right together, and I adored the way Yoon conveyed how exciting a new relationship can be. However, while Madeleine's inner monologue was a bit mushy from time to time, in a way it felt so right as she was experiencing romantic love for the first time. And like all the first things, first-loves (particularly) make you see things in a different light and even act completely unlike yourself. 

"That night, I dream that the house breaths with me. I exhale and the walls contract like a pinpricked balloon, crushing me as it deflates. I inhale and the walls expand. A single breath more and my life will finally, finally explode." 

While the romantic aspect of the book is in the limelight, the novel is so much more. It's about taking risks and making mistakes, and through your choices you find who you really are and what you held dear. You just have to figure it out what is worth risking. Through Olly, Madeleine starts to fully realise that the four protective walls, favourite novels, and movie nights with mom may not be enough for her, not really. Even though she knows that those things are a privilege in some sense, she is desperate to know if there's more to life than that. And who wouldn't? Especially when someone like Olly (a funny, sensitive, and not too bad-looking) is willing to show you everything there is to life. The question is, is Madeleine really living if she is cooped up in her room, when all she wants to do is go outside? But will Madeleine risk her life (literally) for a few days of without-limits living?

"You're not living if you're not regretting." What am I going to regret?" 

The fact that I've included some quotes from the novel should speak volumes - I rarely add quotes to my reviews. I loved Yoon's style of writing and how it shaped the mood and the overall tone of the novel. The novel was full of optimism and sunlight, but without being overly ecstatic, as there was this constant gloominess lurking in the corners as well. For instance, the author wrote Madeleine's house all-white to symbolise how Madeleine's life was clean and pure made by her mother, causing Madeleine's life lack colours, or in other words, experiences. However, even though Madeleine is obedient, she is also curious, so she starts to rebel, bringing colours to her life with her clothes, transforming attitudes, and of course, through Olly. 

I suppose, the book wasn't exactly perfect, though. Despite the fact that the surprising ending was the perfect addition, I wasn't completely satisfied how it was handled. As I don't want to spoil the book for you, let me just say that the conclusion felt a bit rushed and therefore (at least for me) lacked the impact that I think it was supposed to have. Even a chapter more to handle the issue would have made me a lot happier, but I guess you can't get it all. After all, Madeleine didn't get it all either (or did she?). And that's why my rating is 4/5 stars.

☆☆☆☆

Because You'll Never Meet by Leah Thomas

Description from Goodreads

In a stunning literary debut, two boys on opposite ends of the world begin an unlikely friendship that will change their lives forever.

Ollie and Moritz are best friends, but they can never meet. Ollie is allergic to electricity. Contact with it causes debilitating seizures. Moritz’s weak heart is kept pumping by an electronic pacemaker. If they ever did meet, Ollie would seize. But Moritz would die without his pacemaker. Both hermits from society, the boys develop a fierce bond through letters that become a lifeline during dark times—as Ollie loses his only friend, Liz, to the normalcy of high school and Moritz deals with a bully set on destroying him.

A story of impossible friendship and hope under strange circumstances, this debut is powerful, dark and humorous in equal measure. These extraordinary voices bring readers into the hearts and minds of two special boys who, like many teens, are just waiting for their moment to shine.

❄❄❄

I tend to read more books from the fantasy genre than the contemporary one for one specific reason: I often feel that realistic YA fiction novels tend to use a similar template which I often find predictable and somewhat recycled. Maybe I haven't read the right contemporary books, but that's my experience with them. However, once in a while I feel like reading something a bit more realistic and down to earth than dragons and assassins in distant lands. So, since I had heard that Because You'll Never Meet Me is one of the most anticipated YA novels in 2015, I wanted to give it a try. After all, how could not a book telling about a young boy allergic to electricity not be cool, if not anything else. Turns out, Because You'll Never Meet Me is so, so much more than just cool.

First of all, the voices of Ollie and Moritz have to be two of my favourites, ever. Both of the characters had really unique and distinguishable voices, and I was immensely enjoying how their personalities shone through their letter exchanges (which the novel consists of). While Ollie comes across as this a bit hyperactive, fun-loving, yet gentle young man, Moritz is a brooding, proud, yet extremely intelligent person. I can't emphasize enough how much I enjoyed their banter, intelligent conversing, and just the general pondering on world and how cruel it sometimes can be. The conversations of these two very different people (yet tragically very similar in some sense) was the heart of the novel and I couldn't get enough of it, so I actually ended up reading this novel within a day.

Like I already mentioned, Ollie and Moritz were such fun pen pals together, intentionally and unintentionally. While Ollie was the one to crack jokes as fast as he could, Moritz provided the humour through sarcastic comments and observations - both of them equally funny. So funny indeed that I laughed out loud! And let me tell you, I can't remember when was the last time that I actually laughed while reading. Yeah, I do snort or kind of giggle occasionally, but never like this. I was basically howling! I'm just going to include here one of my many favourite quotes from the book:

"When I was born, I was born screaming. It was the same for almost everyone I've ever heard of; if you weren't born screaming, then you were probably born with too much optimism." 

See what I mean here? The humour was just so effortless, a bit dark yeah, but intelligent (sometimes also a bit silly which was just fine, if not perfect).

But I mean this book wasn't just about rainbows and unicorns, oh no. I can tell you honestly that at one point I bawled my eyes out because I was just hurting so much for Ollie and Moritz. In fact, I was really surprised that this very humorous and light read did take such a drastic turn, and turned into a very angsty and dark novel. In fact, at times it was just plainly horrid and shocking what happened in the novel. Even though I throughly enjoyed all the banter and laughs, I also appreciated the darker side of this fantastic duo. Both Ollie and Moritz have this dark past, which will be little by little revealed. Their pasts don't only make these wonderful guys perturbed, but also vulnerable, which makes you appreciate how strong they both really are.

As much as I hate to say this, there was one thing that I guess bothered me, in the lack of a better word. Even though Because You'll Never Meet Me is classified as a realistic fiction, I thought it had a slight science fiction twist to it. Well, what could you expect from a novel about a boy with electricity allergy, but I think the book would have worked very well without this sci-fi "twist". It wasn't exactly a twist, but towards the end of the novel there was a turn of events which I definitely didn't saw coming. I did find it really interesting, but I think it also ate away something from the novel. But. I think quite many readers will enjoy the shocking reveal, which I did too to some extent, but I can't exactly explain what about it bothered me so much. Because it was so unexpected? Because it wasn't so genre-typical? I don't know. I need to think more about this, and maybe I'll come back to this review and try to explain myself more clearly. 

I simply adored the special connection Ollie and Moritz shared and how their innocent letter exchanging turned into this amazing, profound, life changing friendship. I laughed with these boys, I cried with them, I hurt with them, and I was shocked with them. It was difficult not to get sucked into Ollie and Moritz's world and see the world with their eyes (hehe, not trying to be funny here, you'll understand what I mean when you read the book). Even though I have a bit mixed feelings about the ending, that isn't to say that I do not recommend Because You'll Never Meet, because I do!! This wonderfully hilarious yet deeply moving novel has to be one of my favourites from 2015! Actual rating 4.5.

☆☆☆☆

One by Sarah Crossan

Grace and Tippi are twins – conjoined twins.

And their lives are about to change.

No longer able to afford homeschooling, they must venture into the world – a world of stares, sneers and cruelty. Will they find more than that at school? Can they find real friends? And what about love?

But what neither Grace or Tippi realises is that a heart-wrenching decision lies ahead. A decision that could tear them apart. One that will change their lives even more than they ever imagined…

From Carnegie Medal shortlisted author Sarah Crossan, this moving and beautifully crafted novel about identity, sisterhood and love ultimately asks one question: what does it mean to want and have a soulmate?

❄❄❄

I'm considering very seriously about buying my own copy of One. I was fortunate enough to get an advanced reading copy, and even though I instinctively knew that it was going to be a powerful reading experience, I wasn't really expecting One to make me cry. The novel was loaded with dreams and hopes, but also with very deep sense of longing and sadness - in a way a perfect depiction of a teenager in an unusual situation. 

The lyrical and mesmerising, occasionally very poetry-like language absolutely blew me away; it me to read the whole novel in one site, in a matter of couple of hours. I was constantly wanting more and more of the tragic yet also optimistic story Grace and Tippi as Crossan was able to write such a powerful message through their experiences. I don't usually care for teenage angst, but the author succeeded in writing the swirling emotions in a relatable and justified manner, and I was on board with Grace and Tippi, never leaving them emotionally. 

The twins aren't described as either sins or sinners, but as real persons with real emotions sometimes being irritating and other times completely sympathetic - and that was so awesome. It is okay to be a pain in the ass from time to time, after all, we all are humans we have different ways to cope with difficult situations. The girls, especially Grace ,was struggling to be recognised as an individual yet wanting to be a part of the duo she and her sister created.

I also loved the honest angle that Crossan took with One. By this I mean that the author wasn't afraid to disclose the equal wonder and, unfortunately, hate towards the co-joined twins and how Tippi and Grace had learnt to deal with all the attention and curious looks they had been receiving all their lives. All the descriptions and emotions were unflinching and therefore so moving and thought provoking. Of course, being different from others was bothering both of the girls to some extent, but I loved the fact how the sisters were also content, perhaps even proud, to be Siamese twins - they couldn't imagine life without the their other half, literally and metaphorically. 

I think you really need to read the novel to really get a sense what I'm trying to convey here about One. The novel was honest, poignant, and heart-wrenching at least in dozen different ways, and I'm really glad I had the chance to read it. I was expecting a semi-light read about a Siamese twins, and instead I got a moving tale of two sister who loved each other more than anything yet trying to find their own place within the world while being physically limited in their goals. 

☆☆☆☆

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked . . . until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine— Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.

❄❄❄

Dumplin' has to be one of my favourite contemporary reads so far, and that's quite a lot said when I can honestly say that the year 2015 has been creme de la creme when it comes to compelling contemporary books - even though I'm usually the fantasy and sci-fi geek girl, the contemporary releases this year have been my favourites so far. The level of characters' depth, the issues handled, and the inviting writing styles just have been right up my alley, and Dumplin' is a great example of that kind of book.

As sad as it is, I can't recall reading a book in which the main character was "fat" or one in which the readers were constantly reminded that the main character was a plus-size girl. This realisation hit me pretty hard - how small population of teenagers really are represented in the YA, and perhaps in majority of the genres. Dumplin' wasn't just body-weight positive, but also a personification of the praise for individuals of all shapes and sizes and whatever characteristics or quirks, body or personality related, people might have. The novel was a breeze of fresh air with the most relatable and realistic, authentic and sympathetic characters, and their stories which will have an impact on the readers. As naive as this might sound, the book itself didn't feel naive.

Dumplin' could have easily become a very cliché story about a big, small town girl who aspires to change to her town's perception of the overweight people and how everything ends up being happy and beautiful in the end, but Murphy didn't fall for that trap. Instead, she wrote a smart and thought provoking novel, deeply rooted in the reality and in the knowledge that even though the world can be a wonderful place, it can be also a cruel and sad one too. And thanks to this decision, the novel reached a completely new level of respect that a book can get from me. 

But the book by Murphy wasn't just about being body-positive and commentary about accepting yourself as you are, but it was also sassy and funny, mainly thanks to Willowdean and her quirky friends. A huge plus from me that the novel had a huge element of friendship in it - the depiction of the friendships were very on point in all aspects.  And of course, there was Bo.. Bo, Bo, Bo, Bo. What should we do with you? Bo is Willowdean's co-worker, and a true babe at that, and Willowdean has had a huge crush on him since forever. Their relationship was so intriguing and fun to read about as it wasn't the typical teenager relationship that you can read about in generic YA novels, but there were ups and downs, and then a bit more downs. Some people probably won't like their relationship as much as I did, but the fact that there were so many mixed feelings and twists that kept me entertained and wanting more, caused me really like the dynamic between Willowdean and Bo - it wasn't predictable or boring, ever. 

I'm seriously considering pumping up my rating to five stars, but I think I need to reread the book before doing that. Even though I fiercely liked the novel, I give my 5 stars sparingly, and I want to keep it that way - just because with the all five stars I can really emphasise how special the novel was. And Dumplin' was special, almost one of a kind, and I'm really looking forward to reading the novel again as I'm sure it can handle the scrutiny that comes with the second reading. In fact, I'm almost positive that I'll like Dumplin' even more that time. But for now, I'll keep the rating at four starts, but I have to emphasise how cool yet meaningful this novel was. Excellent read.

☆☆☆☆

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

Description from Goodreads

A new YA novel from novelist Patrick Ness, author of the Carnegie Medal- and Kate Greenaway Medal-winning A Monster Calls and the critically acclaimed Chaos Walking trilogy, The Rest of Us Just Live Here is a bold and irreverent novel that powerfully reminds us that there are many different types of remarkable.

What if you aren't the Chosen One? The one who's supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death?

What if you're like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again.

Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week's end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.

Even if your best friend is worshipped by mountain lions.

❄❄❄

Patrick Ness's books are sort of like a comfort blanket for me - you can never go wrong with his novels. His writing is always so on point, his characters engaging, the humour always gets to me, and this author always handles important topics with such subtlety, such precision that it's impossible not to get affected by Ness's ideas and thoughts. The Rest of Us Just Live Here wasn't any different, in fact, this novel might be my favourite of all of his work that I've had the pleasure to read. 

The Rest of Us Just Live Here was very different from what I've ever read before. Instead of writing about the Chosen One, Ness had decided to focus on Mike who has always been on the sidelines and will continue to be, at least in terms of saviours of the world from vampires, Immortals, and whatnots. Even though we cleverly (and also somewhat mockingly too, which was just awesome, bless you Patrick Ness) get to see what the Chosen Ones are doing as every chapter starts off with a brief chapter of their doings, the majority of the novel doesn't focus on the fantasy element, making the novel strongly more a contemporary novel than anything else. The readers get a glance into Mike and his friends lives, what troubles they go through and how they try to stick together. After all, they are the only thing they really have, and need. 

I was kind of surprised how dark the mood was. The novel wasn't exactly depressing, but it definitely had that sad existential crisis feeling to it. What's my worth? Am I really needed in this world by others? These are probably questions that all of us think about at some point in our lives, some more often than others, Mike belonging to the former group. In fact, he got so anxious about these thoughts that he had started to develop obsessive-compulsive behaviours, which were somber and disheartening to read about. And on top of this, Mike's friends weren't without their problems either. What was really heart-warming though, was that these friends had very strong bonds formed between them and they relied on and supported each other. And this element was the exact reason why I liked this novel much. The friends didn't just bail at the first sight of trouble - they stayed, like a brick wall, from the very beginning to the end.

Ness is somewhat a literary prince - I want to have his book-babies (whatever that means). His style of writing combined with smart remarks and  observations is exactly my kind of thing. Ness also has an impeccable eye (mind?) for writing cinematic text. When I was reading The Rest of Us Just Live Here, it was just so effortless to picture all the events playing in my head and go with the flow. The pages basically turned by themselves, which can be pretty tricky to write considering that this was a character-driven novel rather than focusing on action and blowing high schools (but some of that might have been included too). 

What else can I say, but read the novel! The Rest of Us Just Live Here is packed with diverse  and multidimensional characters, profound yet subtle elements of self-exploration and mental illnesses, occasional good laughs, and also with a commentary about friends sometimes being the real family. I feel very privileged that I got a chance to read this, because it definitely made me think about my own friends and family, and how I don't need to be the Chosen One to be special and needed. Very, very solid 4 stars. 

☆☆☆☆

Between Us and the Moon by Rebecca Maizel

Description from Goodreads

A luminous young adult novel that evokes Judy Blume’s Forever for a new generation.

Ever since Sarah was born, she’s lived in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Scarlett. But this summer on Cape Cod, she’s determined to finally grow up. Then she meets gorgeous college boy Andrew. He sees her as the girl she wants to be. A girl who’s older than she is. A girl like Scarlett.

Before she knows what’s happened, one little lie has transformed into something real. And by the end of August, she might have to choose between falling in love, and finding herself.

Fans of Jenny Han and Stephanie Perkins are destined to fall for this story about how life and love are impossible to predict. 

❄❄❄

That was unexpected! I thought I was going to look at a cute and light summer read (which it partially was, of course), but I didn't expect it be so thought evoking. There were parts which weren't really my thing and I initially thought that those things would have lowered my rating in the end, but the coming-of-age element was just so authentically and emotionally written that I had already forgotten the slightly annoying bits when I finally finished this seize-the-moment but also be-true-to-yourself novel. 

First, let's talk about Sarah. I really felt for her. She is only 15 at the beginning of the novel, so even though she had already started forming her identity, she was still a bit lost when it was about finding her place in the world. I think that's something that all of us can identify with, as I'm still at 22 trying to find my own place. But Sarah has it worse than I have. She feels like she has always been in the shadow of her older, ballerina sister, and always been compared to her, naturally making her feel out of place and even undervalued. Between Us and the Moon was about Sarah coming in terms with her own strengths and weaknesses, and realising that it's more than okay to be your own person. When you like yourself, the rest of the good things should follow. 

Even though Sarah was a bit immature, I gave her a free pass - she was only 15. And what's even more, she overcame this imperfection of hers, even though the some of the damage was already done. But what I really loved about her was that she wasn't afraid to chase her dreams and be passionate about things, even if others didn't see those things as cool (but I have to say that astrophysics is really cool - I wanted to be an astrophysicist when I was 10). Sarah was also very logical, almost so that it went to the chill side, and observant, and it made her a very different kind of main character. And I couldn't have liked this any better - it's more than refreshing to read about different kinds of main characters. 

Of course the romance needs to be addressed when talking about a summer, beach romance novel. Andrew was so lovely. And so hot, on a side note. But. He was 19, turning 20 in a few months while Sarah was only 15 in the beginning of the novel. Sarah did quickly turn 16 in the novel, making their relationship legal in some countries, but I just couldn't help but being a bit apprehensive of their relationships. Andrew of course didn't suspect a thing considering that Sarah was a bit of an old soul, and Sarah didn't see from her immaturity that their relationship could have turned really ugly, really quickly. While I had my doubts, I couldn't really deny the blooming chemistry, either. They had so much fun together and had a real connection and trust forming between them. 

Between Us and the Moon was a very sneaky book too - it very dextrously included some ideas and thoughts into the dialogue or inner monologue which just tugged at my heartstrings. 

"I want to be able to care about clothes and boys, but I want to be good at science too. I want to be both."

"Maybe other people have invited me to do things and I've said no before giving it a chance. Maybe all of this is my fault, just not in the way I thought. You watch the world, Bean. Tucker is right. I do watch the world. I do assume. I do all of those things - alone."

""I don't think anyone really knows the real me." I say with a shrug. "I let them tell me who to be. I let them dress me up." My voice cracks and I try to hide it by clearing my throat. "But you," I say, thought it's hoarse. "You see me.""

(Not crying)

Yes, in short, Between Us and the Moon was a really surprising book, most definitely in the positive way. While it was exactly what I wished for and needed at the moment (a cute, summer romance kind of book), it was so much more and had a really interesting take on life and how you should be true to yourself. Some may dislike the ending, but I really liked it. It was real, and it was convincing, and even a bit sad. Just as the whole novel in general. But hey, that's real life for you. 

P.S. Now, where's that sequel?

☆☆☆☆