Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine. Every Wednesday you discuss a book that you are highly anticipating.

Ninth House (Alex Stern #1)
by Leigh Bardugo

Release Date: October 1st, 2019
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Genre: Adult Fantasy

The mesmerizing adult debut from #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

---

Just knowing that one of my favorite authors is coming out with an ADULT FANTASY novel has me squealing. I am very happy that some of my favorite YA Authors are slowly transitioning to Adult since I am not much of a YA reader anymore. I can’t wait to read this! Leigh Bardugo has made an endless point that this is ADULT and will have some  disturbing scenes which I’m honestly all ready for. Also, I’m excited to see what she can bring with another world since pretty much all we know is The Grishaverse. I love seeing authors expand. This book sounds right up my ally. I love secret societies, mysteries, and schools. Funny enough, I’m currently watching The Order on Netflix and the synopsis reminds me a tad bit of it. October can’t come any sooner.

---

Are you excited for this Ninth House? Thoughts on a new world by Leigh Bardugo? Let’s chat in the comments!

---

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

Daisy Jones & The Six Non-Spoiler Review

Title: Daisy Jones and The Six
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Historical Fiction, Adult
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Pub. Date: March 5, 2019

Synopsis:
Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the reason behind their split at the absolute height of their popularity . . . until now.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.

Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.

Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.

---

Trigger Warnings: Substance abuse/addiction

Told in interview format, Daisy Jones and The Six are about a singer (Daisy Jones) and a band (The Six) that are on the rise in the 70’s music scene. They are both getting noticed quickly and a producer, Teddy, thinks it would be a great idea to have both Daisy and The Six unite for ultimate success. Before the becoming of Daisy Jones & The Six, we learn about Daisy and the lead singer of The Six, Billy Dunne, separately. Both addicted to the fast life, sex, drugs, alcohol, and a wild life on the road, will that stop now that both have unite to make one of the greatest hit albums of all history? What happens when they abruptly decide to split? If you read the book, you will find out!

“I had absolutely no interest in being somebody else’s muse.
I am not a muse.
I am the somebody.
End of fucking story.”

Because the book is told in an interview format, there isn’t much to talk about here in regards to prose, and if the book was lyrical, etc. I think this book couldn’t have been written any other way. I did read this book in physical format and I found the voices to be distinct (I heard that the audiobook was amazing). I didn’t have trouble with the characters voices or feeling like they were all the same. I loved how the author split the book into different time years. Truth be told this is my first book by Taylor Jenkins Reid and I am so mad at myself for not reading any of her books sooner. Taylor Jenkins Reid knows how to write a fucking good ass book that will leave you sleeping late into the night and turning every single page.

Because the characters are recounting things that happened about 40 years ago, there are times where you don’t know what the truth is. Here are some super unlikable characters, telling you what they think happened at a certain time frame or event and with all of that, I never found myself confused or upset because of how realistic the author executed it.

The writing of this book and the way the author presents events, the retellings of the characters, and era of time that this book is in, literally transported me into the 70’s every time I opened this book.

“I wouldn’t have come up with something like that. Which is what we
all want from art, isn’t it? When someone pins down something that feels
like it lives inside us? Takes a piece of your heart out and shows it to you?
It’s like they are introducing you to a part of yourself.”

This section can be very long but I’m going to try to cut it short. I find that Taylor Jenkins Reids knows how to write super complex characters that are extremely unlikable but will still have you rooting for them in the end? Do you get what I mean? Due to the format of the book, everyone from the band to producers, sound engineers, significant others, family, friends, etc. had a part. Which I found fascinating because not only do we get to hear from Daisy Jones and the band members from The Six, we also get an outside perspective from their end. Those characters played a part in the foundation of storyline.

I loved Daisy Jones ruthlessness and I loved Billy Dunne’s selfishness. These are two easy things that can get on anyone’s nerves but it worked for them. Every single person that we meet has their own personality but their love for music is one and the same. Daisy Jones is wild and full of rebellion, she’s her own and doesn’t care about what anyone has to say, she lives for her art and wants to be great at it. Billy Dunne is a perfectionist when it comes to the music and he was a people pleaser when it only came to the people he loved. When it came to music, it was his way or the highway. However, when it came to his life, that’s where my favorite character, Camila Martinez, comes in.

Camila Martinez is my absolute favorite character. I literally wanted to cry when I found out she’s Latina because she is the literal definition of a Latina madly in love and will do anything and everything to save her family because family comes first. Her passion, her devotion, her love is heavy and beautiful and toxic. And all I could do is admire her for the woman she is.

Karen is another character that I loved. I don’t want to go into details why because that would be spoiling the book. However, I loved how she stands up for what she wants and even though she acknowledges that the music scene is run by men, that doesn’t stop her from pursuing her music career.

Like I said before, there are many characters to this book. If you read it, who was your fave and which did you dislike the most? I couldn’t stand Eddie, he got on all my nerves.

“Art doesn’t owe anything to anyone.”

Is it obvious that I loved this book? Lol I hope so. The author really nailed it with the portrayal of the 70’s. This book is very heavy when it comes to drug/substance abuse, it’s something that is spoken about a lot because of how the 70’s music scene was back then. I enjoyed that aspect of the book because it didn’t sugarcoat the realities that musicians faced back then. Taylor Jenkins Reid made me feel like this band truly exist. I cannot wait for the show because that means we get to hear the songs and how they’re actually played which also means I get to play the album on repeat (I don’t know if this is definite but a girl can hope and dream). Daisy Jones & The Six is reread material. The plot twist at the very end was SO WELL DONE. I was not expecting that plot twist at all because my mind was reeling and I was already crying anyways, so the tears? There was more to that. Everything made even more sense when that plot twist took place. Beautiful, phenomenal, well done. I will not give up on this author.

“The things you run from, baby, I run to
And I know it scares you through and through
No one knows you like I do
Try to tell me that ain’t true
Oh, we could be lovely
If this could get ugly”

---

Have you read Daisy Jones & The Six or do you plan to? What are your favorite Taylor Jenkins Reids books? Let’s chat in the comments!

---

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

Fictional Books I Want to Read in 2018

Hey everyone! I wanted to share what books I really want to get to in this New Year! Since I don’t read as much as I used to, I wanted to keep this post small and to the point. Majority of these books have been released already and some I am still waiting for! The list is an no particular order. Without further ado, let’s get started! (all links lead you to the goodreads page)

 

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas a YA Realistic Fiction take on the black lives matter movement and police brutality.

Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbree a YA Contemporary book about a girl who’s an “overnight” internet sensation and when an online flirtation can happen in real life, how will she tell him that she’s a romantic asexual?

Ringer (Replica #2) by Lauren Oliver a continuation of the YA SciFi Dystopian novel Replica. After discovering some uncomfortable truths about the Haven Institute and cloning, we see what happens afterwards in Ringer.

Hunting Prince Dracula (Stalking Jack the Ripper #2) by Kerri Maniscalco the continuation of the YA Historical Fiction Mystery Stalking Jack the Ripper, we follow the main character Audrey in another adventure featuring Vlad the Impaler. 

Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff in continuation of the amazing YA SciFi novels Illuminae and Gemina, comes Obsidio with more action and adventure. This is the finale of the teams and oh my heart be still.

Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons #1) by Leigh Bardugo a YA Fantasy following one of my favorite heroes, Diana, who has risked exile for saving a mortal which changes everything.

Unearthed (Unearthed #1) by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner a YA SciFi that has to do with earth getting a message from a long extinct alien race, infiltration, secrets, and survival.

Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha #1) by Tomy Adeyemi a YA Fantasy about magic disappearing in Orïsha under orders of a ruthless king, yet the main character is struggling with controlling her powers and feelings towards the enemy.

Daughter of the Pirate King (Daughter of the Pirate King #1) by Tricia Levenseller  a YA fantasy that has a female pirate, adventure, and hidden map!

Renegades (Renegades #1) by Marissa Meyer a YA Fantasy about secret identities, powers, vengeance, and justice.

The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell a YA Fantasy filled with time-travel and historical fiction, one character has to travel back in time to 1902 to steal an ancient book. However Old New York is filled with gangs, secret societies, and too much magic.

Godsgrave (The Nevernight Chronicle #2) by Jay Kristoff this Adult Fantasy continues the journey of our ruthless assassin main character where she is still looking for revenge.

The Girl in the Tower (Winternight Trilogy #2) by Katherine Arden a Fantasy Historical Fiction, this story continues the adventure of main character Vasya and what lies ahead for her.

---

and that is all for this post! any of these books you’re looking forward too? or you’ve read already? i would love to know your thoughts in the comments!

---

instagram: @chicnerdreads
twitter: @chicnerdreads

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia Spoiler Free Book Review

Title: Eliza and Her Monsters
Author: Francesca Zappia
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Greenwillow – HarperCollins
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Her story is a phenomenon. Her life is a disaster.

In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, she’s LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves the online one, and she has no desire to try.

Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile.

But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.

---

***Trigger Warning: Suicide and Attempted Suicide

Summary/Plot

When reading the synopsis from this book, I jumped into a few theories of what to expect with his book. We meet Eliza who is a very introverted, shy, friendless teenager in real life. However online when she is LadyConstellation and even Eliza online is very open and talkative. LadyConstellation is the creator of a mega popular webcomic Monstrous Sea, it is so popular that even publishing companies have sought out to obtain it. Eliza has turned it down so many times because she loves the platform of her comic just the way it is.

Eliza’s world is about to change when Wallace Warland transfers to her school and come to find out that he isn’t just a regular fan but a huge fanfiction writer. Everything takes place in slow motion but he eventually helps her get out in the world more. He doesn’t know that she’s LadyConstellation. And things are about to take a huge hit when the secret is out. Not only does this effect Eliza and her mental health but it also affects the world she’s created online, her family, and her relationship with Wallace.

Writing

This is my first Francesca Zappia novel. I actually have been wanting to read Made You Up for so long but I didn’t correlate the two as the same author so I was ecstatic to see she had written this one as well. I loved the writing!! Especially the insert pages of the graphic novel and illustrations. I think for this being a YA book, it was realistic. Francesca wrote some dialogue via instant messenger which I loved. The dialogue between the characters were great and her details were super amazing as well. I appreciate the author writing about mental health and really giving us the readers a lesson per-say through a character at the end of the book.

Characters

I feel like each character in the book played such an important role in Eliza’s life and what was going to happen next. I spoke enough about Eliza but I have to say that she is definitely going through it with her mental health. This is something that the author doesn’t explicitly talk about throughout a lot of the book because it’s not something the character knows about. However, through Eliza’s interactions with her family, people, and just her thought process, you get a feel that there is something deeper. Living a life online one way vs. how her life is in the flesh, and her parents not really knowing much to then the pressures of high school can be hard on a teenager. I know that at least for me, I found Eliza’s character relatable.

We meet Wallace Warland and I thought he was the most adorable soft boy. Once he is presented in the book, I wanted to know him more. His character arc was really well done and when I got to know him on a deeper level, I cried. No lie, I really cried because here is this character who has been through a lot and he’s just taking everything one step at a time.

Eliza’s family; her parents and siblings. Let me tell you something!! I absolutely loved this family because in my opinion, we don’t see much family dynamic. Yet, here you have in Eliza and Her Monsters, parents that are all up on Eliza, super worried about their child and not knowing what to do with her. Which I thought was realistic because a lot of parents don’t know what to do with their first-born, especially during teenage years. We’re like the guinea pigs. You can tell that Eliza’s parents just want the best for her and are trying to steer her in the “right” direction but they don’t really understand her direction. I loved the brothers, their relationship was so great to see and the sibling relationship had amazing representation.

We do get to see other minor characters but I won’t really get into that because if not then I’ll definitely be spoiling the whole book lol.

Thoughts

I am going to keep this really short since I pretty much scattered my thoughts throughout the review in the previous sections. I absolutely loved this book and thought it represented mental health, family dynamic’s/relationship, friendships, and internal battles in a great way. The author definitely takes us through the highs and lows, I had found myself at times just really hoping for the best. Francesca Zappia wrote an amazing novel filled with reality and honesty in a form that everyone can read and still feel warm and happy at the end of it. I would LOVE if the author made Monstrous Sea into an actual graphic novel because everything about it was great. I feel like it would really go far. Overall, I would highly recommend this book.

---

and that is the end of the review! have you read this book? or plan on to? what are your thoughts? i would love to chat in the comments!

---

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads

Mini Non Spoiler Review: We Are Okay by Nina Lacour

Title: We Are Okay
Author: Nina Lacour
Genre: YA Contemporary, LGBTQ+
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:

You go through life thinking there’s so much you need…

Until you leave with only your phone, your wallet, and a picture of your mother.

Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend, Mabel. But even thousands of miles away from the California coast, at college in New York, Marin still feels the pull of the life and tragedy she’s tried to outrun. Now, months later, alone in an emptied dorm for winter break, Marin waits. Mabel is coming to visit, and Marin will be forced to face everything that’s been left unsaid and finally confront the loneliness that has made a home in her heart.

---

 

I usually separate my reviews with summary/plot, writing, characters, and thoughts. However, this book is really short and I feel like I would give everything away by going into detail.

This is my first Nina Lacour book and I have to say that I now want to read everything by this author. Her writing is phenomenal. But!!!! I have to slow down on my book buying and read the ones I have on my shelf first lol. So maybe by Fall, I’ll buy her other books.

We Are Okay is very melancholic. The tone is set from the very first page till the last page. I had tears in my eyes! This story is about a girl, Marin, who one day leaves everything from her old life behind. Till her best friend from her old life, Mabel, comes to visit. And Mabel isn’t coming over to just check on her but also to confront her (not in a bad way at all).

This book is told in alternating chapters of present and past time. The setting also takes a big role with the tone. Winter snowstorm in a big university campus that Marin happens to be alone because everyone is on Christmas/New Year vacation (present chapters). Summer with Marin who is a completely different person, happier (past chapters). With each page turned, I was filled with more questions of what had happened to Marin. Why did she up and leave? Slowly but surely everything started clicking and making sense.

This story is about loss, tragedy, and grief. About the hard parts in life that shape you. About how sometimes you end up abandoning yourself when something bad happens to you. I loved how raw this book is. And the profound message Nina Lacour had hidden within the conversations of Marin and Mabel. That’s what made this book an instant fave. I’ve said this a million times before but I love when books make you think.

This book is not entirely plot driven but more character driven. I also loved how we have queer characters and WoC but it wasn’t used as plot device, it wasn’t even spoken about. The story is an everyday story and I appreciate that so much. As a WoC and part of the LGTBQ+ spectrum, THANK YOU NINA!!

I loved both Marin and Mabel oh so much. Best friends since young and the relationship they have with one another is so beautiful, raw, and honest. We also get to meet Mabel’s parents and they’re amazing as well. I love how Mabel’s parents were very active in their daughters life whereas in other YA novels, I feel like we don’t see that too often.

This is a simple, gorgeous, sad read but I would highly recommend it to everyone.

---

have you read this? thoughts? let’s chat in the comments!

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine. On every Wednesday you discuss a book that you are highly anticipating.

I think the book that I am going to feature today is a book that many people will be anticipating as well and that is:

Always and Forever, Lara Jean
(To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #3)
by Jenny Han

Release date: April 4, 2017

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Lara Jean’s letter-writing days aren’t over in this surprise follow-up to the New York Times bestselling To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and P.S. I Still Love You.

Lara Jean is having the best senior year a girl could ever hope for. She is head over heels in love with her boyfriend, Peter; her dad’s finally getting remarried to their next door neighbor, Ms. Rothschild; and Margot’s coming home for the summer just in time for the wedding.

But change is looming on the horizon. And while Lara Jean is having fun and keeping busy helping plan her father’s wedding, she can’t ignore the big life decisions she has to make. Most pressingly, where she wants to go to college and what that means for her relationship with Peter. She watched her sister Margot go through these growing pains. Now Lara Jean’s the one who’ll be graduating high school and leaving for college and leaving her family—and possibly the boy she loves—behind.

When your heart and your head are saying two different things, which one should you listen to?

---

Honestly!!! I never knew that this was supposed to be a duology lol so when this book came to the light and I saw so many people surprised and happy, I was CONFUSED!! The way the second book ended just didn’t feel like a finale to me at all. Nevertheless, I am super happy to read this one. Jenny Han who is a #ownvoices author wrote this cute contemporary which will make you smile and giddy. If you have yet to start this series than check out the first book, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before:

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her.

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

 

 

 

---

Are you waiting on this book as well? Let me know in the comments!!

---

Follow me on Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Friend me on Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

Beauty and The Beast Book Tag

Hello I was tagged by Lilly @ Lair of Books and Ash @ Once Upon A Bookshelf for the Beauty and the Beast Tag! CHECK OUT THEIR AWESOME BLOGS!!!!

Also check out the Creator of this Book tag Kirsty @ Kirsty and The Cat Read

1. “TALE AS OLD AS TIME” – A POPULAR THEME, TROPE OR SETTING YOU WILL NEVER GET BORED OF READING.

THE BAD BOY!!!!!!! Oh I will never get tired of the misunderstood bad boy who you hate in the first few chapters and then end up loving because he makes all the sense in the world. I always fall for that trap…I mean trope.

2. BELLE – A BOOK YOU BOUGHT FOR IT’S BEAUTIFUL COVER THAT’S JUST AS BEAUTIFUL INSIDE TOO

I mean, I got it as a gift after I read the library edition..so it still counts right? Gosh this book is so beautiful without the jacket on and the inside IS SO AMAZING!!!! (read through documents, IMs, emails, not your regular book format) One of my favorite books. It’s a 5 star read for me.

3. BEAST – A BOOK YOU DIDN’T EXPECT MUCH FROM BUT PLEASANTLY SURPRISED YOU.

This book is a New Adult and I wasn’t really expecting it to be amazing as it turned out to be. One of my favorite New Adult books that I love oh so much. It’s not just the romance but the past of these two characters that bind them together is beautiful. I plan on doing a Mini Review on it soon so watch out for that!

4. GASTON – A BOOK EVERYONE LOVES THAT YOU DON’T

Gasp, kick, and cry all you want….I WILL NEVER GIVE THIS SERIES ANOTHER TRY. I just can’t do it. I have a more in depth reason as to why here.

5. LEFOU – A LOYAL SIDEKICK YOU CAN’T HELP BUT LOVE MORE THAN THEIR COUNTER PART.

IKO!!!!! Please no spoilers!!! I haven’t read Cress and Winter yet, but I love me some Iko! Iko is an android, btw. Iko is so loyal and my heart panicked a few times when I thought bad things would happen.

6. MRS POTTS, CHIP, LUMIER & COGSWORTH – A BOOK THAT HELPED YOU THROUGH A DIFFICULT TIME OR THAT TAUGHT YOU SOMETHING VALUABLE

I read Crank when I was teenager. My teenage years were really hard but getting lost within Hopkins writing made me feel better about myself. I almost got into drugs and this book definitely helped me see the light on that world. Crank is based off Hopkins daughter who’s an addict.

7. “SOMETHING THERE” – A BOOK OR A SERIES THAT YOU WEREN’T INTO AT FIRST BUT PICKED UP TOWARDS THE END.

The Archived by Victoria Schwab was really slow in the beginning and I almost DNFed it but then I reached past 100 pages and it got sooooooo good I couldn’t put it down.

8. “BE OUR GUEST” – A FICTIONAL CHARACTER YOU’D LOVE TO HAVE OVER FOR DINNER

Tessa Gray from The Infernal Devices (photo credit here) because we can talk about boys and books. Plus she’s classy ass f***

Tagging Time: (you don’t have to do it and if you have, I apologize)
Books, Vertigo and Tea
Inked Brownies
Hanging With Amanda
BookNerdMomo
bookslayerReads
The Uncharted Word
Dream your own Dream
A Word About Books

---

Follow me on Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Friend me on Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

Mini Review Monday – Isla and the Happily Ever After (Spoiler Free)

Hey everyone! Here I am with another Mini Review Monday created by me, where you write a short review for a book/series you haven’t reviewed on your blog. Because either you read the book before you started blogging or you never got around to it. If you decide to participate in this new meme, please feel free to leave a link to your post in the comments below. Also! Let the people know if it’s a non-spoiler/spoiler review.

---

Title: Isla and the Happily Ever After (Book #3)
Series: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, YA
Published: August 14, 2014
Read: December 2014 (hardcover, own)
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last? 

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart. 

Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.

---

All of Anna and The French Kiss are just one of my  all time favorite YA Contemporaries. I hope one day in the future I get to reread them again.

In Isla and the Happily Ever After we meet Isla and Josh. Isla who’s always had a crush on Josh since she laid eyes on him in the Paris boarding school. However, when they bump into one another in Manhattan things will change for better or for worse.

Stephanie Perkins does it again with another amazing setting. This one so happens to be in my city, New York City and of course she was spot on. I am very critical when it comes to books taking place in NYC because I think about the readers who don’t live here and the accuracy of it all. This book not only takes place here in NYC but also in Paris, so we go back and forth with Isla and Josh in both places.

Isla is so relatable with her personality and insecurities that I have also encountered at her age. Josh, although being male is also relatable. He has family issues that stir a lot of drama in his life and relationship with Isla. This drama can also steer these two into different directions. Both Isla and Josh are also in their senior year of high school getting ready to go onto college and this shakes Isla a bit.

I must say though, for a YA, this one was a little hot and steamy. Which I’m not complaining about but I was very surprised that Stephanie Perkins had went there.

All in all, this was a great ending to the Anna and the French Kiss series. Plus we see all the characters from the previous books!

If you’re ever in a reading slump and need a quick laughing fix, pick this up.

Favorite Quotes:

“Phones are distracting. The internet is distracting. The way he looked at you? He wasn’t distracted. He was consumed.”

“A blank canvas…has unlimited possibilities.”

I smile up at him “It’s beautiful. But what comes next?”
“The best part.” And he pulls me back into his arms. “The happily ever after.”

 

Photo link here

---

Follow me on Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Friend me on Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

Mini Review Monday – Lola and the Boy Next Door (Spoiler Free)

Hey everyone! Here I am with another Mini Review Monday created by me, where you write a short review for a book/series you haven’t reviewed on your blog. Because either you read the book before you started blogging or you never got around to it. If you decide to participate in this new meme, please feel free to leave a link to your post in the comments below. Also! Let the people know if it’s a non-spoiler/spoiler review.

---

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door (Book #2)
Series: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, YA
Published: September 29, 2011
Read: October 2014 (paperback, own)
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

---

Lola Lola Lola! Another all time favorite!

Although this is the second book to the series, this could be read as a standalone just for Lola and Cricket alone. Even though I feel like in order to capture the essence of this whole series and all the characters combined, it should be read together.

We meet Lola who believes in dressing in costume every single day. She loves to stand out with her crazy sparkly outfits and different colored wigs. She lives with her two dads. Technically her adopted uncle and his husband but she considers them her fathers. Everything was going so well and dandy till her neighbors from childhood come back to move in next door. Then her rocker boyfriend starts giving her problems.

This book takes place in San Francisco and Stephanie Perkins does it again with making us the readers feel like we are apart of the setting. She makes us feel like we’re actually there.

Cricket, the boy next door who’s super tall and is an inventor finally steps away from his twins sister shadow. She’s a famous gymnast.

Feelings start to resurface between Lola and Cricket but she’s stuck in a toxic relationship. However, Cricket doesn’t give up. While Lola is eccentric and out there, Cricket is quiet and shy. Opposites extract? I think so.

Stephanie Perkins does not only have romance in this novel. We see family dynamics between Lola and her mother, Cricket and his family, Lola in a toxic relationship. We also meet Anna and Etienne again.

Plot, characters, and story = A+

Favorite Quote’s:

“And if I’m the stars, Cricket Bell is entire galaxies.”

“I don’t believe in fashion. I believe in costume. Life is too short to be same person every day.”

“Do you know my biggest regret?” She asks. “That you turned into this bright, beautiful, fascinating person… and I can’t take credit for any of it.”

 

Photo link here

---

Follow me on Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Friend me on Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)